


Taking Wing

by viperscreed



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: M/M, Pirate AU, siren au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-30
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-04-18 04:24:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 56
Words: 74,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4691975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viperscreed/pseuds/viperscreed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(A series of one shots masquerading as a story)</p><p> Bill is a pirate and a poacher.</p><p> Dipper is a siren who was a little too sure of himself.</p><p> I think we know where this is going.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Capture

A breeze rolled in off a calm sea and the siren sighed happily as he felt the air move around him, he looked down to watch the waves crash against the cliff he stood upon. He turned around to look at the flock, his family was easy to spot amongst the mass of white, black tipped wings being mainlanders they had vibrant colors. His magenta winged sister was tending to her nursery duties with a few others, his Grunkle was sitting on a high cliff sunning his silver feathers but his great uncle’s red, blue tipped wings were nowhere in sight though that wasn’t unusual, he was probably down in the caves. He turned back to the sea and opened his large blue wings, he took a moment to adjust to the feeling of the breeze pushing against him before he took off to start his patrol. After a few pumps of his wings the ruckus of the flock was behind him and his keen eyes were carefully studying the water and air for anything of note.

He sighed after it started becoming apparent that this would be yet another dull patrol. His tired brown eyes started to droop when he spotted a dark figure on the horizon, he perked up and the feathers around his ears splayed wide as he started flying toward it. He soon recognized the figure as a ship, it looked like it had seen the lion’s share of hard times but it was sturdy and sailing strong. He raised himself higher in the air as he cautiously circled the ship, there was only a single figure on deck. Odd, the siren hadn’t smelt disease on the wind but there had been storm recently perhaps that had done the rest of the crew in.

He glided down to perch on the railing behind the human keeping good distance for now. He carefully stepped down onto the deck as he took a deep breath.

_“Let me tell you a tale for a penny,_

_One you cannot hear anywhere else,_

_Not anywhere else,_

_I heard from a birdy it doesn’t end purdy,_

_It doesn’t end well,_

_No it never ends well.”_

The siren sang and held out an arm toward the other expecting them to stand and try to dance with him but the figure stayed stock still. His brow furrowed and the siren took a few more steps forward allowing himself to get more into the song.

_“Let me spin you a yarn for a cent,_

_Lord, would it not be a sin for you to deny yourselves a tale?”_

The siren grew frustrated as the person didn’t even turn to look at him, his feather stood on end and he had every intention of ripping the person’s coat to shreds when he got them back to the flock, he’d maybe keep the hat. He had never heard of a human denying a siren’s call and his talons left scratches in the wood as he marched across the deck skipping a few verses as he started to snarl out the lyrics.

_“Lord, lord, that greed, it’ll kill you,_

_Lord, lord, go on, pass the hat, will you,_

_Your purse strings are tight, bleed for a sinner!”_

The siren came to stand behind the person and despite how loud he was the human still didn’t move. He growled and finally lashed out, kicking the human in the back only to flutter back in surprise. A bunch of stacked boxes toppled over, the coat, the hat and some kind of animal pelt fell to the deck. The siren stood over the mess confused, not sure what this was or what he should do.

Before he could think to fly away he found himself slamming into the wood of the deck, he tried to open his wings but ropes were tightly wound around his body. He looked up with wide eyes as he was surrounded by a handful of sailors.

“See, I told you it would work, you can let the others up.” A man chuckled walking around to pick up the coat from the floor, in his hand was some kind of wooden earmuff contraption. A sailor trotted over to a door and unlocked it, more sailors cautiously came up from below.

The siren took in a breath but the tip of a blade pressed against his throat though an opening in the net before he could start to sing. The man leaned down allowing the siren to get a good look at him, he had blond hair that gave way to thin, black braids pulled tight to his scalp and his right eye socket was filled with gold.

“Now, now, none of that, my client wants you one piece but I’m sure he’ll understand if we have to snip those golden pipes of yours.” The man threatened and the siren hissed softly but shut his mouth. The blond reached out to ruffle the monster’s brown hair. “Good boy, alright let’s get you tied up proper.”

The siren started to pull away from his touch when he was roughly pulled back to his feet. The net was pulled tight around his middle binding his wings closed almost painfully, his hands were pulled through two holes in the ropes so his wrists could be tied and a length of cloth was forced into his mouth pulling harshly at the edges of his lips as it was knotted.

“Do you want us to chain its feet Captain Cipher?” A man asked his captain and the blond man shook his head.

“No I think we’ve got him.” He answered, standing up and grinned at his men’s handy work that was until he noticed the gag go slack and fall, the siren spitting out what was left. The beast smiled at him revealing a mouth filled with serrated teeth. “Chain its feet.”

The siren shifted unhappily as the iron cusps hung around his thin ankles, clinking loudly as he was lead to the captain’s cabin. The captain led the siren by one of the ropes that crossed his chest and only let him go once the siren was standing next to the left wall. The siren hissed softly again as he looked around what was to him a far too small space.

“Now you behave yourself cause the sooner we get to our destination the sooner I get my fortune and the sooner you get a meal and can fly home.” The captain said reaching to tap his finger against the siren’s nose. The siren blinked a few times before glaring down at the captain though that didn’t sound too terrible, he could travel rather quickly and the rich did taste rather good. He licked his lips at the thought and the captain chuckled.

“No biting on the first date Polly.” He laughed taking a seat at his desk. He turned his gaze turned down to the large map he had laid out across the surface.

“My name is Dipper.”

The captain started and his hand flew to his knife when he heard the unfamiliar voice, he looked over at the disgruntled siren and started to laugh at himself.

“So you talk?” He asked as his laughter subsided.

“Of course I can, you saw me singing didn’t you?” Dipper responded and went to cross his arms but his tied wrists stopped him.

“Well mockingbirds and parrots can say words that doesn’t mean they know what their saying.” The captain rationalized with a shrug before turning his eye back to the map. “Now hush, I have to chart out a course back.”

To find the siren they had gone way out of their usual waters and he wanted to get rid of this siren as quickly as possible, he grabbed his quill to mark where they were before he started looking for a shortcut back. The captain didn’t notice the siren raising his hands up to his teeth and chewing through the rope, Dipper cut through a few parts of the net as well so he could move his arms freely. He moved carefully as he walked around to the other side of the desk, not wanting his talons or chains to give him away. He looked down at the map and he felt himself pale when he saw where the x’s were, he’d be on this ship for months.

The captain was startled again when the siren swiped his quill away.

“Hey, what are you doing?” The captain demanded looking over at where the siren was supposed to be to see the remnants of rope and when he looked Dipper was drawing on his map. He pulled his blade and reached across the desk to press it to the siren’s throat making Dipper pause in what he was doing.

“This path will cut our travel time in half.” Dipper hissed.

“Well I don’t know if you know this Polly but my ship can’t cross land.” The captain chimed and the snark in his voice made the siren sneer.

“There is a river that is plenty big enough for your little dingy and the names Dipper.” The siren pushed forward and a drop of red welled up under the tip of the knife.

“That’s better then what I was calling you and how do I know you aren’t leading us to our death?” He inquired not letting up on his blade.

“Because like you said the sooner we get there the sooner I get a good meal and can go home besides I can’t chew through metal!” Dipper argued, his ear feathers shivering a bit and he shook one his legs so the chains rung out loud and clear. The captain was silent for a moment before slowly pulling the knife away.

“If anything happens to this ship I’ll pluck you like a chicken.” The captain warned sliding his knife back into its sheath. He looked down at his map to see what the siren had already drawn, it was a bit of a mess now since ink had been seeping out of the quill while they had been arguing.

“If you’re even a half decent pirate your ship should be fine.” Dipper responded before he went back to drawing out the river system, trying to remember if there was anything the ship would have to be worried about.

“Half decent, I am Captain Bill Cipher, I’m sure you’ve heard of me.” The human said grinning at the siren.  Dipper glanced up at him for a moment before looking back down at the map.

“You’ve never heard of me?”

“Nope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bird Siren Dipper!


	2. Dinner Talk & Lullabies

Dipper was alone in the captain’s cabin, said captain was out directing his crew, and he was sitting near the far wall as he didn’t like how his tail feathers got bent when he tried to sit in the chair. He sulked as he looked down at his feet, the shackles were heavy and he was sure if he tried to catch fish with these on he’d end up breaking a few of his toes. He turned the cusps with his clawed fingers as he inspected them, trying to figure out what kept them shut.

The siren looked up when the door to the cabin opened and Bill strolled in, a fish dangled from his fingers by its gills. Dipper looked over the fish’s silver blue scales with interest and followed its movement until he realized Bill was moving the fish around on purpose.

“Soup’s on.” The pirate chuckled and tossed the fish at him. Bone and scale cracked as the siren caught the fish in his teeth by the underside of its head. He gave it a little toss to catch it properly by the head and he tilted his head back as he brought the fish further into his maw. His throat swelled as he swallowed the fish whole and once it was down he brought his hands up to wipe the blood tinged water from his face.

“I honestly wish I hadn’t seen that.” The captain said and Dipper rolled his eyes. The pirate walked around to sit in his chair, slinging one of his legs over the arm while he leaned against the parallel one and he stared at the siren. Dipper’s feathers bristled as he tried to meet the other’s gaze evenly.

“What?” He finally snapped.

“I’m glad you asked, I have a question.” Bill grinned and Dipper sat up a little straighter.

“I’ll answer if I get to ask you something.” Dipper offered.

“Great, okay so what’s your favorite kind of person to eat?” The captain asked and Dipper’s brow furrowed.

“Why do you want to know that?” He asked, of all the questions he thought the pirate would ask this definitely hadn’t crossed his mind.

“Nuh uh, you have to answer before you can ask a question.” Bill chided with a lazy wag of his finger.

“Alright, alright, I like young rich people the best. Pirates are the worst.” Dipper answered and his lips perked up at the scoff he received.

“I’ll have you know many a monster has told me that I am delicious.” Bill stated and a chuckle rose out of the siren’s throat.

“Sure they did, okay my turn, how did you resist my song?” The siren asked half expecting the pirate not to answer.

Bill shifted to sit properly in his chair before he leaned down to open one of the drawers. He pulled out one of those wooden earmuffs he had used earlier and with a grin he walked over to hand them to Dipper. The siren looked at them skeptically before he slide them on.

The creak of wood, the splash of waves hitting the side of the ship even his own breathing all warped into a cacophony of indistinguishable sound. The siren’s stomach churned as his sensitive ears were subjected to the noise and he practically ripped the earmuffs off to hand them back to Bill. The pirate laughed as he took them back walking to his desk to put them away.

“How do they work?” Dipper asked as his stomach settled now that he could hear normally again.

“That’s a trade secret.” Bill said as he locked the drawer, sliding the key into his coat pocket. Dipper worried one of his claws between his finger pads as he looked at the drawer, Bill caught his gaze and laughed a bit. “Don’t worry, I’m the only one who knows how to make these and I ain’t telling anyone.”

Dipper relaxed a bit at that, winter was on the way and the cliffs would be overrun with sirens from the north the last thing his flock needed to worry about was immune poachers on top of everything else. He wanted to know more about them but the if the pirate was going to be tightlipped about it he’d have to wait until he got the ship, he was sure he could steal a pair before he left.

Bill grabbed his coat and slipped it on, he gave the siren a little two fingered salute before walking back out the door.

 

<> 

 

Unless the siren was lying they should reach the river’s mouth in a few days, oddly enough a few days had been exactly how long the captain had gone without sleep. He hated being sleeping between bizarre dreams and all the time it took up it had quickly become one of his least favorite past times. The lack of sleep was showing though, the pirate had bags under his eyes and his eyes were starting to droop. The gentle rock of the ship wasn’t helping in his fight at all and he glared at the paper he was trying to read.

He didn’t even notice the siren watching him from his place near the wall. Dipper was twitching to get up and sing the captain to sleep, it was the same instinct that drove him to sing for his own flock. It was almost as strong as it was when he had nursery duties, which was usually a simple job, sing the chicks to sleep, make sure the eggs were warm and guard them from anything lurking in the rocks _like those_ _goddamn jackals_.

The siren slowly started to hum so softly that it could barely be heard over the sounds of the ship. The captain shook his head as he tried to stay awake, the candle wasn’t providing enough light to trick his brain into thinking it was day.

_“Cast my reverie,_

_Back into the sea,_

_Underneath my pillow,_

_Where it’s meant to be.”_

Dipper’s voice carried around the small cabin as his talons clicked against the floor. Bill could feel his body getting heavier, his eyes were unable to stay open and eventually his upper body was resting on the desk.

_“All my little troubles,_

_Haven’t got a prayer,_

_Heaven’s all around you,_

_When you haven’t got a care.”_

The siren let his voice fade out when he heard snores rise out of the pirate. He carefully pulled himself to his feet not wanting to trip over the chains and walked over to the desk to blow the candle out. His eyes lit up a bluish green as what little moonlight that could invade the cabin hit them. He eyed the captain’s coat for a moment but made no move for its pockets instead going back to his spot, patience is a virtue he reminded himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I'm a dumb and just realized I should probably put the name of songs down here  
> Last chapter was 'Tale for a penny' and this time it was 'Heaven's all around you' both from The Devil's Carnival. I don't know if it's obvious but I really love that musical ^.^


	3. Oh the Atrophy!

Dipper’s chin tilted down toward his chest as he slept and his body swayed with the lull of the ship. He squawked when he was suddenly yanked to his feet by the grinning captain, his feathers fluffing out.

“Rise and shine Morning Dove!” Dipper groaned and narrowed his eyes at the pirate as said pirate bestowed yet another ridiculous nickname. He reached up and rubbed his eyes tiredly as Bill pulled him by one of the ropes that crossed his chest. Dipper hissed softly as he was led out of the captain’s cabin and the sun hit his face.

“So how close are we?” Dipper asked, his eyes adjusting to the bright morning light.

“We should be there before noon, that’s why I brought you out here.” Bill answered as he pulled Dipper up the steps to where the wheel was situated. A middle aged woman stood at the wheel, her thin brown hair was tied into a tight bun and crow’s feet adorned her eyes. She eyed the siren warily for a moment before turning her eyes back to sea ahead of them but if she uncomfortable with him being there she didn’t show it.

Dipper stepped away from the captain so he could jump up onto the railing and squinted as he looked forward along the coast. After a few moments he lifted his hand and pointed at something up ahead.

“It’s way up there but yeah we should be able to get there before sun high which it what I’m assuming noon is.” Dipper said looking back at Bill. The pirate squinted into the distance trying to see what Dipper had spotted but after a few seconds he held his hand out to the woman only to find she was already holding a telescope out for him. Bill pulled the telescope to its full length before holding it up to his good eye.

“All I see are cliffs.” Bill responded and indeed all he saw were sheer, craggy cliff face not the opening to a river as Dipper had promised. Dipper jumped down from the railing, cringing a bit when the shackles came down on his ankles and walked over to the pirate, he leaned into Bill’s shoulder as he tried to follow Bill’s gaze. The siren used the back of his scaly fingers to nudge Bill’s telescope in the right direction. A split in the cliffs came into view, the top of the opening cracked into dingy yellow fangs and water from the sea was lazily swallowed into the darkness.

“You didn’t say anything about caves.” The pirate said lowering his telescope to look over at the siren.

“What, you aren’t scared of the dark are you?” Dipper teased before he attempted to ease the captain’s worries. “It opens back up after about three wing beats or so.”

“That’s helpful.” Bill sighed sliding the telescope closed and handing it back to the woman.

“Well, I’ve got even more news you’re not going to like.” Dipper continued pausing for a moment to see how the pirate would respond and the captain just gave him an annoyed stare. “As much as your client would understand getting a mute siren I’m pretty they won’t be happy about getting a crippled one.”

“What are you talking about?” Bill inquired, narrowing his eyes. Flying beasts, having hollow bones, were much more susceptible to breaking something then others and animals across the board were very good at hiding injuries.

“My wings, they’ll waste away if I can’t at least move them.” Dipper said and Bill looked at him for a moment, thinking. Dipper could feel how stiff his muscles and joints had become after a few days of being tied to his back and he wasn’t looking forward to fixing that.

“You had birds back home right?” Bill asked the woman at the wheel.

“Aye, the siren makes sense ya can’t even leave birds in a cage without it causing problems sooner or later.” She responded only taking glances away from sea ahead of them. Bill rubbed his chin as he walked over to the railing to look down at the deck.

“Someone get me the leash!” He yelled down and someone called back.

“Leash?” The siren questioned not sure what that was.

“Well of course, I’m not going to untie you then let you walk free.” Bill laughed and reached up to curl his fingers in the ropes around the curve of Dipper’s wing only to quickly withdraw his hand. The siren protested as he was turned and bent back a little so Bill could get a clear view of his wing. There was a waxy buildup on the rope and the siren’s feathers felt like unwashed hair. Dipper craned his neck trying see what the other was looking at. “Seven hells, what is this?”

“Oils, they keep my feathers from getting soaked.” Dipper explained, under usual circumstances he’d have spent so much time in and around water that it wouldn’t have gotten a chance to accumulate like this.

“Has the deck been washed yet?” Bill asked the woman and she snorted making the captain sigh. “When was the last time the deck was swabbed?”

“A week ago maybe, I don’t know, it’s not my job.” She responded and Bill ran a hand over his face.

“You’re all fired when we get back to dock.” Bill stated but by the light laugh she gave it was easily to tell she knew that wasn’t true. The captain started leading Dipper down the stairs. “And you’re getting a bath.”

<> 

Dipper scratched irritably at the edges of the metal collar around his neck, the cold metal making his skin itchy. The other end of the leash chain was tied to the mast giving Dipper about five feet of walking space. Bill had a cabin boy, the youngest and newest member of the crew, dredge up two buckets of sea water.

The captain carefully undid the net that bound Dipper’s wings, the ropes falling down around his waist and Bill wound them up in his hands before they could hit the floor. Dipper groaned as he opened his limbs to their full extent, his feathers shivering a bit before his muscles went slack. Bill quickly stepped out of the way before the siren started drumming his wings, the force of it causing Dipper himself to take a few steps back. A few small feathers went flying and Bill could hear a member of his crew sneeze and grumble under their breath.

“H-here’s the water you wanted.” The young cabin boy stammered bringing over the two buckets of water as Dipper’s hung limp from his shoulder blades, feathers splaying out across the wood of the deck.

“Well don’t stand there lad, give it to him.” Bill urged giving the boy’s shoulder a light shove. The cabin boy shuffled forward, arms shaking from the weight of the buckets as he held them far away from his body. Dipper brought up his hands to take the handles from him and the boy practically dropped the buckets into his palms before moving quickly away from the siren.

“Am I dismissed sir?” He asked Bill anxiously and the captain nodded. The boy needed no more permission to run off and take care of something else, preferably far away from the siren.

“I’m not that scary am I?” Dipper asked Bill as he set one of the buckets down. He folded his wings close to his back again and milky white membranes slid over his eyes as he prepared to dump the water over his head.

“You can be a little disconcerting.” Bill responded. The siren shrugged a little as he poured the water over his head and wings, only blinking when the water gathered uncomfortably on his eyelashes. “You know, the more time I spend with you the less I understand why anyone would want one of you.”

“You humans want weird things all the time.” The siren said as the last bit of water fell from the bucket. He set the empty bucket down and ran a hand through his hair revealing his birthmark as his wet hair stayed slicked back. The membranes pulled back once his eyes no longer needed their protection. 

“Nice birthmark, I’m assuming that’s how you got your name.” The pirate chuckled, gesturing toward the siren’s forehead.

“Birth- oh my marking, yeah that was mom’s idea, we used to follow Alkaid when we’d migrate back north.” Dipper responded bringing one of wings around so he could wipe his hand over the back of it, flattening out the feathers and checking for any that were loose. He scooped water out of the second bucket and splashed it onto the underside of his wing, running his claws through the feathers. A single feather floated down and lodged itself in one of the straps of Bill’s boot, he lifted his foot to pick it off.

Dipper paused in his workings as the ship turned hard, his talons digging into the wood to keep himself steady though that didn’t do much good for anyone else. Bill quickly dropped his foot to keep himself from falling but it didn’t stop him from stumbling shoulder first into the siren. Clawed hands came up reflexively to catch him and Dipper made a sound of discomfort as Bill’s elbow hit him sharply in the chest.

“Lose your sea legs?” Dipper laughed, his voice wheezing a little bit as he recovered from the impact.

“I tripped.” Bill snapped pushing himself away from the snickering siren. The ship quickly righted itself as it was pulled into the river that lead to the cave, many of the crew had already gathered and lit lanterns.

Dipper looked into the gaping jaws of the cave and felt a shiver run up his spine causing the feathers there to rise. When his family had settled in the south he thought he had seen the last of this damned place let alone ever have to go inside it, he looked sheepishly over at the captain and the confidence he saw in the human was comforting.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I love nictitating membranes and I will use them every chance I get!


	4. With Love From the Minoan Crete

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a heads up, this chapter and the next are pretty gorey, its just blood for the most part!

It was daytime.

It was daytime.

_It was daytime._

“Can we dim the lanterns?” Dipper asked when his little mantra failed to make him feel safe. He had been tied up in the ropes again and unleashed but he hadn’t moved too far from where he had been when they entered the cave. His feathers were standing on end as much as they could with the net on.

“No we can’t, we won’t be able to see if we turn them down anymore.” Bill snipped, this was the third time the siren had asked for the lanterns to be turned down and they had done it the first time he had asked but any further and they wouldn’t be able to see beyond the deck. The captain narrowed his eyes at the usually confident siren and he reached up to grab the other by the back of the neck, pulling him down so he was at Bill’s eye level. “Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“Well it’s daytime so we should be fine as long as we’re quiet and if we dim the lanterns more.” Dipper responded, flying over this cavern had been stressful enough but being inside it was wrecking the siren’s nerves.

“What’s in here?” Bill demanded and Dipper’s third eyelids flickered over his eyes for a moment as the pirate’s grip tightened on his neck.

“A flock of harpies live in this cave.” The siren admitted finally. Harpy matriarchs could be as big as a horse carriage and all harpies were incredibly aggressive but thankfully they were nocturnal. The captain let out a bark of laughter that surprised Dipper and let go of the siren’s neck.

“Have some faith pigeon, we can handle some overgrown ugly birds.” Bill laughed and Dipper followed him curiously as he started back to his cabin. He pulled a key out of his sleeve and used to unlock a large cabinet sitting opposite the wall Dipper was usually kept. Inside was a plethora of items Dipper had never seen before and he peered over the pirate’s shoulder as he tried to get a good look inside.

Bill hummed softly as he considered his options most of which were trophies from past battles, harpies were sturdy bastards but a well-placed projectile could easily knock them out of the air. He pulled out a battered flintlock musket, the weapon had seen its fair share of fights but it still packed a punch. Bill grabbed some ammo before closing up the cabinet and heading back out onto the deck with the siren in tow.

“Keep an eye out everyone, these are harpy waters.” Dipper flinched as the captain called out to his crew, the replies he got back were pretty noisy as well.

“You really think you can take on a flock of harpies?” The siren inquired, shifting anxiously on his feet.

“Can, will, have.” The captain responded grinning at Dipper before he started loading his musket. Dipper tried to focus on the movements of the other’s fingers over the strange object in an attempt to calm himself but he could still see the pitch blackness of the cave in his peripheral.

It didn’t take long for signs of the harpies’ presence to start appearing. The walls of the cave were scoured with deep scratches where the harpies had climbed them and burrows had been dug out, it was difficult with the low light but one could occasionally see tattered feathers near the openings.

The siren aboard the ship was silent and very still, so much so that Bill was having a hard time figuring out if Dipper was still breathing or not. He definitely didn’t have any color in his pretty face.

Wait, pretty?

Bill didn’t get much time to think on his Freudian slip as he felt the ship tilt forward suddenly. A huge, feathered beast had dropped down from onto the deck near the bow. Though she resembled a giant bird she had a face similar to that of a human save for the six inch nose and red sclera shimmered around yellow irises. Her lips parted to reveal serrated teeth like those Dipper possessed as she hissed, looking around at the pirates waiting for one to move so she would know where to start. On the harpy’s chest was a large bald spot, the skin there was bright red and irritated. The mark of the matriarch.

The captain slowly raised his musket as to not catch her attention and startled caws from the burrows nearly drowned out the sound of the shot. The harpy wobbled a bit before collapsing to the deck, a large hole in her forehead and the curve of the ball from the musket could be seen among the gore.

Bill smiled proudly as he looked at his clean kill but his grin was wiped off his face by surprise when he looked over at the siren. Dipper might’ve had literal stars in his eyes in that moment as he looked between the harpy, the gun and Bill. The siren suddenly invaded his space, laying his clawed hands on the musket but not grabbing it.

“What is this, how does it work, why did it die?” Dipper asked his questions so rapidly that Bill could barely make them out. The siren’s attention was drawn away from the pirate before Bill could answer however as a hatch in the center of the deck was opened, a handful of crewmembers were tying ropes to the corpse to make it easier to drag. “Wait, you have to take out the heart before it cools!”

The shining dots of the other harpies’ eyes followed the siren as he hurried across the deck but the corpse of their matriarch held them back, a few starting to snap at one another however. The crew panicked a little at the quickly approaching siren but with a gesture from Bill they backed away to allow Dipper access.

Bill caught up to Dipper just in time to see the siren shove his arm shoulder deep into the harpy’s chest having clawed open the beast’s bald spot. Dipper grunted softly as he tried his best to cut the heart out with his claws only to give up and start tugging the slippery organ.

“We just gave you a bath…” The captain complained as he watched the siren get blood all over his front.

Dipper let out a squawk as the harpy’s heart suddenly popped out of place and went stumbling back into the pirate. Bill shoved him back onto his feet and was about to chide when he found himself face to face with a heart almost as big as his head.

“You killed her, you get to eat her heart.” Dipper declared, absolutely beaming at the pirate.

“No, that… that’s fine, you eat it.” Bill said doing his best to keep down his breakfast as the full assault of the heart’s stench hit his nose. Dipper blinked a few times and a red hue spread over his cheeks.

“R-really?” Dipper asked and he looked genuinely touched by the gesture.

“Sure, go ahead.” The captain allowed, the heart couldn’t be sold for anything anyway. The siren looked down at the heart excitedly and he turned it around in his hands before deciding to take a bite out of the side. Blood gushed out of the heart like juice out of a ripe fruit and Dipper moaned softly as the taste spread over his tongue.

Bill glanced around and caught a good portion of his crew standing about doing nothing but watching the interaction.

“Well come one, this chicken isn’t going to butcher herself!” He yelled gesturing at the corpse.

<> 

After another bath Dipper was sent back into the captain’s cabin, not that he minded he was more than happy to get out from under the harpies’ gaze. He wasn’t terribly afraid of them attacking now, with their matriarch dead they’d spend the next few months fighting amongst themselves to reinstate the hierarchy. The siren was still anxious though now it was over something else and when Bill entered the room he took sudden great interest in a corner of the room.

The captain paid him no mind as he headed to his desk, it had been a long time since he last had a dead harpy on board and he didn’t quite remember what all parts were valuable. He paused before he sat down his eye spotting a large, brown lump on his desk. He grabbed his writing quill and used it to poke the lump and turn it over. It was a fat, dead rat and the puncture wounds along its spine made it look like it had been nipped by a bear trap.  It wasn’t until he looked over at Dipper and saw the expectant, hopeful look on his face that the realization of what this was dawned on him.

It was a gift, like the ones his mother’s old cat would leave when he was young. He dropped the quill and picked the rat up by the tail, careful not to get any blood or fur on him. The captain tried not to shiver as he felt the rat was still warm.

“I suppose I should hurry this down to the kitchens.” Bill lied and Dipper beamed as the captain headed out of the cabin to throw the dead rat overboard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Nature, where we compliment your sick murder with a little murder of our own!
> 
> Fun Fact: Your average harpy will eat 20-50 sirens during the sirens' migratory period alone!
> 
> Thank you guys for all your comments and kudos, I'm really happy you guys like this pirate and his overgrown pigeon ^v^


	5. Beware of Siren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just a reminder we got some gore up ahead!

It only took a few hours to pass through the caves, not that the ship was much less enclosed as it had opened up into a thick jungle. Just as the siren had promised the dark, muddy river was deep enough for the ship and quite wide as well despite the large trees leaning in over the water. After a few days of sailing inland Bill stopped finding Dipper’s ‘gifts’ on his desk, either because the siren didn’t feel the need to give them anymore or because the rats wised up. The captain highly expected the latter.

The sailing on the river had been going so smooth in fact the captain actually allowed himself to sleep in his hammock for once. Dipper attempted to follow suite but it was far quieter on the river then on the sea and the near silence was making him too anxious to sleep.

He was nearly startled out of his feathers by a loud thud from above. The siren stared up at the ceiling and he strained his hearing, waiting for another sound to follow.  There was the momentary sound of something dragging over wood before silence returned. Dipper glanced over at Bill’s sleeping form to see the captain hadn’t so much as stirred.

The siren carefully got to his feet and shuffled toward the door, though if the thud hadn’t woken Bill he doubted his shackles would. He wrapped his clawed fingers around the knob and turned it, finding the door unlocked. He poked his head out and looked around with a furrowed brow, frustrated by how out of his element he was. His subpar sense of smell couldn’t pick up anything over the scent of the earlier rain.

He took a few, cautious steps forward with eyes wide and feathers around his ears stiff. All the lanterns on deck had been snuffed out except for the one up above near the wheel. Dipper grasped the chain between his legs, holding it off the ground as he scaled the stairs.

The first thing the siren saw was the navigator’s legs. He hurried over to her toppled form to inspect her for injuries. Most of her seemed untouched but there were three scratches in the side of her face though those were nothing compared to the huge bruise forming on the other side of her head.

Dipper was about to shake her awake when he heard an angry huff from the deck below. The siren inched over to the railing and peered down between the rails, his eyes glowing in the dim moonlight.

Down below a beast with the front half of a panther that gave way to long serpentine coils was sniffing around the hatch, picking up the scent of the harpy’s corpse though it had long been butchered and disposed of. The tatzelwurm pawed at the edge of the hatch trying to figure out away in the butcher room which would also give it access to where the crew slept.

The siren quickly started cutting through the ropes that were wrapped around his body, he’d need his wings for what he planned to do next. He lifted himself up onto the railing gripping the wood with his claws and talons, his body crouched low. His wings lifted and his third eyelids slide shut as he calculated where to strike. In one swift motion he pushed off the railing and shot toward the tatzelwurm, his arms folded to his chest as his talons extended forward.

His talons slammed into the tatzelwurm’s back, he felt the body flatten a bit under his weight and the impact caused the metal of his shackles to cut into his tough skin. The siren shifted his grip and one of his back toes was definitely not moving right.

He didn’t get to think about it for long before heavy coils throw themselves around Dipper’s body. The coils tightened around his body, one of which wrapped around Dipper’s face and the siren opened his jaws, his serrated teeth sliced through silky fur. The tatzelwurm yowled and the coil tried to pull away from his mouth, Dipper felt his teeth scrape against bones as he bit through the beast’s side.

The coil pulled away and a heavy paw stroke his head, he was stunned by the hit not even registering the warm blood that started to cascade down from his brow. The siren tried to blink away his confusion and his hands pushed away from his chest to dig his claws into the tatzelwurm’s coils.

The tatzelwurm quickly unwrapped its coils from the pricklier than expected prey bringing them to coil beneath the beast. It propelled itself claws and teeth first into the siren sending them both tumbling into the deck, a hissing pile of feathers and fur. Dipper could feel gashes being opened in his skin as the tatzelwurm grappled him but he focused on dodging the powerful jaws that were trying to close around his head.

Dipper took a gamble and pushed toward the deadly jaws, aiming for the soft expanse of skin just beyond them. It paid off and his teeth sank into the tatzelwurm’s throat but as he bit down claws wracked across his shoulder blades. Its claws scratched up along his shoulders as Dipper stood and the tatzelwurm fell backwards, its throat torn wide open.

The siren spat out the fur and muscle, panting hard as the pain really started to set in. With his membranes closed he barely noticed the approaching light and he opened his third eyelids as he looked over to see Bill standing a few feet away.

“Pigeon?” The captain breathed and stared with wide eyes at the scene before him. Dipper stood amongst the coils of the tatzelwurm’s corpse, his bloodied chest heaving and his pupils were still blown from the adrenaline coursing through his quickly escaping blood. It had been easy with how relaxed the siren had been to forget how powerful he was and Bill couldn’t remember any other time he had been this okay with being intimidated.

Dipper looked back at the captain for a few moments before lifting an arm to point toward the wheel.

“Your navigator.” He huffed, the cuts on his chest were making it painful to breath.

Bill’s eyes widened before he turned and bolted across the deck with a shout of the woman’s name, leaving Dipper in the dark again. A few other members of the crew came up to the deck, finally stirred out of their sleep by all of the commotion.

“Get Leifson, now!” Bill shouted and two men raced back down below while the others hurried up the stairs to see what they could do to help.

Dipper limped away from the corpse as green fumes started to rise out of the hole in its throat, poison not potent enough for battle but would have been very effective against a room of sleeping humans. A shiver ran through his body as he tried to shrug his pain off, sending little splatters of blood to the deck. He walked up the opposite set of stairs as the other’s and came up behind the captain who was kneeling near the woman’s head. The navigator had been moved into a more comfortable position on her back, the bruise had spread further even starting to go down her neck.

“Is she going to be alright?” Dipper inquired as he crouched down beside Bill.

“She’ll be sore as hell when she wakes up but she’ll live, what about you?” The captain asked, the panic he had felt earlier had subsided for the most part.

“I’ve fought before, I’ll be fine.” Dipper claimed as he tried to ignore the wooziness coming over him and he heard the captain scoff.

A man carrying a bag stumbled up the stairs, he gasped as he looked between the navigator and the siren. Despite being trained in medicine Leifson didn’t quite have the stomach to handle blood especially in such large amounts.

“I’ve got her, you take care of Dipper before he bleeds out.” Bill ordered and Leifson hurried to obey.

<> 

It took nearly three hours to find, clean and stitch all of Dippers wounds before he was sent down to the captain’s cabin to rest. The siren decided to take the captain’s hammock since he rarely used it anyway, laying on his belly and his low half twisted awkwardly so his wrapped up feet could hang off the edge, the back toe on his left foot indeed broken. Everything stung or burned and the doctor had said that everything would have to be rewrapped and cleaned again in the near future.

He sighed and buried his face into the pillow his arms were wrapped around. He perked up when he heard the door open and looked up to see Bill. The pirate sat his lantern down on his desk before looking at Dipper.

“Why’d you do it?” The captain asked and he received a confused stare. “Why did you fight the wurm?”

“If it had gotten in it would have killed your flock.” Dipper answered simply.

“I know but why do you care?” Bill probed without any hint of suspicion just curiosity. The siren could have easily waited the attack out and searched for the key to his shackles once the tatzelwurm had killed them all.

“I just... felt the need to protect, I don’t know it was instinct mostly.” The siren admitted. He watched as Bill turned away and grabbed his hat from where it hung on his chair, pulling something out of the band.

Dipper hissed softly when Bill gently grasped one of the cusps around his ankles, there was a soft click and the captain slid the cusp off. The siren watched with wide eyes as Bill did the same to his other ankle and gathered the metal in his hands.

“You’ll heal better without these on.” Bill said offering the other a small smile, seemingly preoccupied with other thoughts.

“Thank you.” Dipper replied softly, moving his legs a little to get used to the lost weight. The room was silent for a long moment after that.

“I need to check on Amalia.” The captain said quickly and turned on his heel, walking to the door.

The siren stared after him and once the door clicked shut he rested his chin on the pillow. He blinked a few times before burying his face in the pillow with a whine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Literally one of my favorite things about writing these is that I get to mess around with some of my favorite mythical creatures!  
> Also pokemon has ruined me cause I keep trying to write pigeon with a d v.v


	6. Thieves of A Feather

Dipper wasn’t sure how long he had slept in that hammock, wrapped up in the captain’s pleasant scent as he dozed dreamlessly. He awoke in a warm, content haze until he tried to move, his arms which had been curled beneath his chest were numb and prickly and his body burned as the nerves around the wounds reignited. The siren groaned and tried to get comfortable again, his skin starting to dampen as the pain made him sweat.

The siren turned his head when he heard the cabin door open, the captain entering with a wooden plate and a canteen. Dipper pushed himself up into a more upright position, ignoring the aches in his body in favor of focusing on the fish being brought toward him. He reached out for the plate but Bill lifted it out of his reach, pushing the canteen toward him.

“Nuh uh uh, water first.” Bill chided playfully. Dipper took the canteen without a fight, he hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until he felt the water pass his lips and he quickly tilted the container back. The captain quickly used his hand to gently push the canteen back down a little lest the siren make himself choke.

“You don’t have to mother hen me, I can take care of myself.” Dipper teased wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Oh hush, you don’t the first thing about taking care of yourself.” The captain responded tapping Dipper on the forehead with his middle finger, remembering how the siren had been all too content to let himself bleed out last night. He handed Dipper the plate. “After this Leifson’s coming up to redo your bandages.”

Dipper groaned as he took the plate though he was sure getting them rewrapped wouldn’t hurt as much as when he first got them he definitely wasn’t looking forward to it. He picked the fish up and bit the head off while Bill went over to one of the small windows to look out at the trees just beyond the water.

“There’s some open banks up ahead that the crew would like to stop at and if you’re feeling up to it they’d like you to join us.” Bill said and looked back at the siren. Dipper’s eyes widened and he swallowed his mouthful of meat and bone.

“I’d love to, I mean, I don’t know how well I’ll be walking but I’ll go if I can.” Dipper answered with a smile.

Leifson appeared just as Dipper was finishing off the fish bearing his bag and a stool.  Bill had to help Dipper up out the hammock and onto the stool, the siren struggling to bare any weight on his injured foot as any movement of the broken toe caused pain to shot up his leg.

Some of the bandages already had red seeping through and Dipper hissed as they were unwrapped, the bandages sticking to his wounds. His skin, especially around the wounds, was covered in deep purple bruises. A few of the bruises from the tatzelwurm’s coils formed interesting patterns in the siren’s skin, swirling in such a way that reminded Bill of the brushstrokes in a painting.

The captain hadn’t noticed his hand moving of its own accord until he heard Dipper give a sharp hiss when his fingertips brushed one of the bruises on the other’s shoulder. He snatched his hand back and sent Leifson a glare when the doctor looked at him with a raised brow. His gaze returned to Dipper as the doctor continued his work. The siren’s eyes were closed and his breathing deep but controlled as he tried not to jump at every little touch of his wounds, Leifson having started to put a salve over Dipper’s cuts. It didn’t take Leifson nearly as long to go over Dipper’s wounds as it did the first time and he quickly had the siren rewrapped in clean bandages.

“I’ll leave the stool here for now and if anything opens or if you feel sick come get me right away.” The doctor said once he’d gathered everything in his bag, pointing at both the captain and the siren as he spoke. The pair nodded and with that Leifson was out the door.

“I could really go for a song right now.” Dipper griped as he lightly touched the bandaging around his head, he pondered how many of these cuts would scar. Bill pursed his lips and lightly tapped his fingers on his desk, glancing at one of the locked drawers.

“I suppose I could put the blockers on for a few minutes.” He offered and Dipper cringed as he remembered wearing the things himself.

“You don’t have to, I can sing without manipulating you.” The siren said.

“Really?” The captain inquired his eyebrows raising a bit at the claim.

“Yeah, I can talk to you normally can’t I?” Dipper responded, putting someone under a thrall by just talking was a lot more difficult than singing but it was the same concept and a skilled siren could do it.

“Alright but if I feel anything funny I’ll knock you out.” Bill allowed after a moment of thought only partially serious about his threat. He was curious to hear what a siren’s voice actually sounded like.

Dipper laughed a bit at the threat, even without the shackles he was in no condition to be trying anything funny. He started to hum softly and coughed a bit as he felt his vocal cords ache a bit, it had been way too long since he sang last something that would have been a daily event at least back at the flock.

_“I am on the trail without you,_

_With miles and miles to go,_

_Send me a sign that you’re okay,_

_A telegram or note,_

_From the trail.”_

Bill sat down in his chair with his eyes fixated on the siren. He had read and heard his fair share of tales about sirens claiming they had voices sweet enough to rot your teeth and now… now he knew all those stories were lies. The pirate struggled to find the words to actually describe siren’s voice right now other than so genuine he’d swear he had never actually heard someone sing before.

_“I won’t stop till I find you again,_

_Even if you’re a pile of ash,_

_I’ll find an eastbound caravan,_

_And crank up its pace to fast,_

_You won’t notice I’ve been gone at all,_

_You’ll say ‘Dipper, where you been?’,_

_I want you to know that there’s not a moment,_

_That goes by without the thought of you.”_

Dipper leaned back comfortable on the stool staring fondly at nothing in particular as his homesickness came to the surface. The pirate couldn’t suppress the little gnaw of guilt as he listened to the siren sing out for his family and he internally berated himself for it.

_“I won’t be lost without you,_

_Cause you’ll be there at my side,_

_You and Ford’ll be close together,_

_With my sister on my right,_

_I won’t be lost without you.”_

The siren’s voice quietly faded to silence seemingly content with what he had sung. He felt better now having gotten that out, a small smile spread over his face that quickly turned bashful as he caught sight of the captain and he was momentarily worried he had accidently put something into his voice.

“Pigeon, you’re starting to make me feel bad.” Bill chuckled a bit breathlessly as he ran a hand through the hair.

“Does it help if I remind you I approached your ship with the intent of killing everyone on board?” Dipper asked and the pair chuckled.

“Actually yeah, I don’t feel bad anymore.” The pirate laughed. They fell into a comfortable silence for a while, Bill not wanting to get up and check on his crew quite yet.

“Can I ask you something?” Dipper inquired.

“Only if I can ask you something.” Bill responded with a grin as he leaned back into his chair.

“How did you get started in this, the whole poaching thing.” The siren carefully leaned his elbows unto his knees as he waited for the captain to answer.

“Ahh that, I suppose it all started when I was a boy. I lived near a lake and one evening I went down for a swim, I was walking out on the deck when I spotted something in the water. Of course, I kneeled down by the edge to see what it was and a hand shot up, grabbing my arm. The hand was attached to a tail alright so when it tried to pull me in I grabbed it and pulled it up onto the deck. It looked like a jackal with monkey paws for feet.” Bill paused in his story to grab a book out of one of the desk drawers; he quickly flipped to a page with an image of the beast before handing it to Dipper. The siren grumbled distastefully as he looked at the drawing, just when he thought jackals couldn’t get worse they go and sprout hands.

“Anyway, I pinned it to the deck and yelled for my brother to bring some rope. Once we tied it up we took it into to town to show it off and while we were there a man told us it was a ahuizotl then he offered us a bunch of gold for it!” Bill let out a bark of laughter as he finished the story. Prior to that event he had spent many an evening hunting lizards and the like but holding a beast of legend in his hands and having someone practically throw money at him had left quite the impact.

“I guess that somehow lead to you becoming a pirate too.” Dipper said and laughed when the pirate nodded.

“My turn, what would you have done with my ship if you hadn’t been captured?” Bill inquired, his ship wasn’t much to look at but he loved the thing.

“After everything me and my flock would have picked this place clean of anything interesting then we’d probably just let it float away unless we needed the wood then we might have steered it toward the rocks.” The siren answered honestly, he didn’t think they need any wood at the moment so they probably would have done the former.

“Wait, just how many ships have you done this to?” Bill asked leaning forward in his chair. Dipper’s brow furrowed and he let out a soft sigh as he tried to come up with a number.

“Uh, in my entire life or this year?” Dipper asked and smiled as Bill started to cackle.

The captain stayed in his cabin for as long as he could swapping tales of conquest with the injured siren but eventually he was needed out on the deck. Within moments the crew started to notice something was off about their captain, well more off than usual. A smile or laugh would slip out at random to be quickly suppressed and color would rise into the pirate’s face as he stared off at nothing.

They were starting to worry for his health.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Whoops looks like Dip isn't the only one who tripped and caught feelings!
> 
> This chapter's song is 'Lost Without You' from The Trail to Oregon musical cause I'm starkid trash!


	7. It's Easy To Fall When You're Tipsy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note: This chapter contains alcohol use!

The sun was setting by the time the ship was anchored and the gangplank lowered. A few members of the crew were already down building a fire on the sand while others were preparing to go on a hunt, most everyone was sick of fish and preserved foods. The area had already proved to be dangerous even with a moat’s worth of water between them and the land so the hunting party was being especially thorough. Along with their guns they packed masks, antidotes and gryphon talons, fearing poisonous beasts more than anything.

“Do you have anything to add, you are the resident predator.” Bill inquired of the siren who stood beside him on the deck. Leifson had splinted Dipper’s foot in such a way that the siren really couldn’t move any of his toes but at least he could put some weight on it now.

“There should be a lot of boar in this area, they’re big and aggressive so keep an eye out.” Dipper advised, he had never hunted boar finding them too troublesome when there was a river so close by he could easily get fish from. Those in the hunting party seemed to like the sound of that though and after double checking their supplies they headed down the gangplank straight into the tree line.

The siren felt a little anxious as he approached the gangplank himself, it looked very steep and he was having a hard time with his balance on a flat surface. He started a bit when he felt a hand grab his upper arm and he looked over to see the captain grinning up at him.

“Don’t be scared Pigeon, I won’t let you fall.” Bill promised and the siren leaned some of his weight into the pirate. They started down the plank, Dipper with bated breath as he waited for his splinted foot to slide out from under him each time he had to put some weight on it.

“I don’t understand how you humans live without wings.” Dipper said as they were about halfway down the gangplank. If the wounds in his back didn’t hurt so much this would have been a simple glide down from the deck.

“We get by.” Bill responded and he chuckled at the sigh of relief Dipper let out when they finally reached the sand. He let go of the siren’s arm and stretched both of his own above his head, a few joints popping.

“How long are we stopping for?” Dipper inquired wanting to make the best of his time on solid land before he’d have to get back on the ship.

“The ship doesn’t need any repairs so we’ll probably pack up in the morning.” The pirate answered and he hummed a bit as he thought something over. “Can you drink?”

“Yes?” Dipper replied after a beat of confused silence, Bill had seen him drink earlier that day and he didn’t understand why he’d ask in the first place really.

“No, I mean can you drink alcohol or will it make you sick?” Bill reiterated, he had encountered a handful of creatures that simply couldn’t stomach the stuff. There was another beat of confused silence as Dipper tried to remember what alcohol was.

“Are you talking about that nasty liquid that comes in barrels?” Dipper asked and Bill laughed. The siren had always assumed humans used that stuff as a disinfectant considering how it smelt and how it burned going down.

“Not all of its terrible, I’m sure I can find you something you like.” Bill laughed and he wished he was a better artist so he could immortalize the look of absolute disgust on the siren’s face.

“I doubt that.” The siren responded, his face scrunching up as he realized the pirate was still probably going to make him try.

“No I’m pretty sure I have something, behave yourself I’m going to go get it.” Bill said before turning to trot back up the gangplank leaving Dipper to fend for himself.

The siren glanced around for a moment, not sure what to do with himself, before he limped over to the now roaring fire where he heard a boisterous but familiar voice.

“That’s not the point, the point is I’m still prettier then you!” The fed-up man the navigator was calling to didn’t seem to want to argue the point any further and turned his back to her to continue setting up a tent. Amalia cackled and brought a flask up to her lips, she didn’t have to steer tonight and she intended to enjoy herself. Her scratches had been cleanly stitched but her bruise looked to have gotten worse, there were more defined marks where her head had knocked against parts of the wheel and her eye was a bit red around the edges.

Dipper grunted a bit as he lowered himself down to the beach, his body protesting against the movement and he sighed as he relaxed into the warm sand. He stayed a decent ways away from the fire wary that one of the floating ambers might light up his feathers.

“Hey, your name’s Dipper right?” The siren started when Amalia addressed him from across the flames.

“Yeah and you’re Amalia if I heard right.” Dipper responded with a polite smile.

“You heard right… so we skinned the wurm this morning and I was wondering if you wanted any part of it before I turned it into a coat.” Amalia offered, swirling her flask in her hand.

“No thanks I have plenty of reminders already.” He chuckled placing a hand on his bandaged chest. She snorted and took another drink from her flask.

“Alright here it is, Pigeon.” The two sitting around the fire looked up as Bill approached with a dark green bottle in his hands. Amalia groaned as he handed it to the siren.

“Goddammit Cipher don’t get the siren drunk.” She chided doing her best to glare at the man.

“It’ll be fine.” Bill replied with a wave of his hand.

“If this ends anything like that time ya got the satyrs drunk I swear to god I will start a mutiny.” The navigator threatened.

“Amalia, it’ll be fine.” The captain insisted. “That didn’t even end that poorly.”

As the two continued back and forth Dipper used his claws to pull the cork out of the bottle. He brought the mouth of the bottle up to his nose; it didn’t smell as bad as the other alcohols he had come across. He took a daring swig and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor, the pale yellow green liquid was actually rather sweet if a bit tart. He tilted the bottle back taking a few swallows and immediately the tartness made him want water.

“See, I told you you’d like it.” Bill laughed and smacked Dipper on his least injured shoulder making the siren sputter.

“Just barely.” The siren laughed and playfully shooed away the other’s hand. Dipper leaned back comfortably letting the talons on his good foot sink into the sand as he watched the fire flicker before him.

<> 

The moon was high in the sky when Dipper found himself walking along a stretch of beach alone, a mostly empty bottle dangling from his claws. He could hear what was left of the waking crew around the bend though they weren’t nearly as loud as they had been earlier. The wine had had a decent numbing affect and though he’d be paying for it later he was able to walk normally, letting his wings dip so the tips of his feathers dragged through the sand.

_“I go out walking, after midnight,_

_Out in the moonlight,_

_Just like we used to do,_

_I’m always walking, after midnight,_

_Searching for you.”_

The siren sang softly to himself as he wandered, enjoying the warm breeze that blew over him and how it felt moving between his feathers. He perked up a bit when he saw a figure standing a few feet ahead of him, he wasn’t sure if his keen eyesight was handling the booze’s haze better or worse than a human’s. He smiled a bit when the recognized the figure as Bill and tried to trot a few steps but even with the wine in his system pain shot up his leg bringing him back to a walk with a curse under his breath.

Bill glanced over at the approaching siren and grinned, moonlight glinting off the gold ball in his right socket. He had abandoned his coat and hat somewhere leaving him in his somewhat white shirt and black pants. The captain turned his gaze back to the river as the siren came to stand beside him.

_“I go out walking, after midnight,_

_Out in the moonlight,_

_Just hoping you may be,_

_Somewhere a walking after midnight,_

_Searching for me.”_

Bill started to hum along but quickly silenced himself and looked over at the siren as he interrupted Dipper’s song.

“Wait, if I sing along will we end up siren married or something?” The pirate asked and Dipper broke out in giggles.

“No, that’s, that’s a mermaid thing, sirens dance when their interested in someone.” Dipper answered no longer giggling but still smiling. Bill let out a low whistle.

“Singing, dancing, hunting and flying, you’re a real renaissance man aren’t ya Pigeon?” Bill chuckled which turned into a laugh when the siren gave him a playful shove. “What does a siren dance even look like?”

“Well, I’m not in any shape to show you but I can assure you we put humans to shame.” Dipper answered and barely suppressed a grin at the incredulous laugh he got from the captain. He faltered even more as Bill stepped up to him, arms crossed over his chest.

“If you’re as good as you think you are I’d think it would take more than a busted foot to stop you.” Bill challenged, his breath smelt of something stronger then the wine but he was holding it better then Dipper.

The siren met his gaze evenly for a few moments before giving in and offering Bill his hands, dropping the wine bottle to the bank. The pirate was vaguely surprised by how rough Dipper’s palms were but he didn’t much time to think about it before he was lead into a spin. Dipper was moving a lot more quickly than the pirate had expected, he didn’t even come to a full stop before the siren was pulling him close and placing a hand on his side while the other changed its grip to interlock with his fingers. Bill placed his free hand on the siren’s upper arm as he blinked some the dizziness out of his eyes.

“This is too slow for a proper dance and you can’t fly but I think we’re doing all right.”  Dipper mused as he led the pirate lazily over the sand, the pair rocking more than actually dancing. Dances were grand, competitive displays among sirens a nonviolent alternative to sparring to prove strength and health. The siren had performed his share of dances before but if anyone asked he’d say he preferred this, no headaches from all the singing and no one was throwing pebbles under his feet.

Yeah, he definitely liked this better.

“Not the worst dance I’ve ever had.” Bill teased relaxing into the other’s grip.

“Hold on, I want to try something.” Dipper warned and Bill looked at him curiously before letting out a delighted laugh as the siren dipped him. The siren laughed along, he had always wanted to try this but no one wanted to risk dragging their feathers over the rocks.

Bill’s laugh quieted when he opened his eyes and found himself looking up at the siren. Messy brown hair and blue feathers swayed with the breeze, haloed by moonlight. His breath left him as he watched Dipper’s brown eyes go half lidded, a grin on his face as he tilted his head.

“Something wrong?”

“…No.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: You know when I fist started writing this I told myself I wouldn't hurt Dipper's legs yet here I am
> 
> This chapter's song is 'Walking After Midnight' by Patsy Cline!


	8. Seriously You Might Trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Note: Since Dip did drink almost an entire bottle of wine of his own there is going to be a little vomiting this chapter!

Bill groaned as his eyes cracked open, glaring at the rays of sunlight hitting his face. He turned on his side, his tongue darted out to wet his lips and he hissed as he hit a large split in his chapped lips. The pirate pushed himself up, out of the sand and glanced around the bank until he spotted Dipper laying a few feet away.

The siren had covered himself up with his wings leaving his feet the only part of his body visible as he hid from the harsh sun. Bill stumbled across the sand and lifted one of Dipper’s wings receiving an irritated hiss from the siren.

“Get up so we can get you some water.” Bill said lifting Dipper’s wing up even higher so he couldn’t hide under it.

“Leave me here, I’m dying.” Dipper groaned, weakly trying to tug his wing out of the pirate’s grasp.

“You’re not dying your just hungover.” The pirate reached down and hooked his arm around Dipper’s arm, pulling the siren to his feet despite his loud protests. The pair walked back to camp, Dipper cradling his head most of the way there. Bill quickly got his hands on a canteen and took a swig from it before handing it off to the siren. He reached up and ran his hands through his hair, making a displeased sound as he felt sand cascade down his neck.

He looked at Dipper who was trying to work out the wet sand that had clumped up and dried under the feathers on his knee from when he had… tripped…

<> 

_“…No.”_

_“You sure cause you’re- fuck!” The siren cursed as his good leg gave out and the pair collapsed to the bank._

_Bill let out a grunt as he hit the ground thankfully the sand was soft so it didn’t hurt too bad, the weight on his chest was more uncomfortable._

_“You stupid bird.” He wheezed pushing on the siren’s chest as Dipper propped himself up onto his hands._

_“Sorry, guess I’m not as strong as I thought I was.” Dipper apologized with an awkward chuckle. He looked down at the hand still pressed to his chest, pushing against some of the bandaging._

_“Sorry.” Bill mumbled pulling his hand away._

_“No, no it’s fine.” The siren assured him._

_Bill could feel the cold sand pushing against his skin as silence enveloped them and his gaze flicked away from the siren’s face for a mere moment to the moon, when his gaze returned his breath hitched. Wide, hungry pupils were studying him and through Dipper’s slightly parted lips he could see a tongue swiping over teeth. Bill’s fingers balled up in the sands as he pushed himself up to brush his lips against Dipper’s, a soft sound of surprise squeaking out of the siren._

_The pirate dropped back down to the sand and was treated to the sight of an absolutely stunned siren staring down at him. That didn’t last long however, claws slid through sand to grab handfuls of hair and a soft growl rumbled in Dipper’s chest as he pressed his lips to Bill’s. The captain grabbed either side of the siren’s face as the pair went after each other ravenously._

_“Ow!” Bill suddenly turned out of the kiss and Dipper pulled back, the captain’s lower lip was bleeding where it had caught on one of the siren’s teeth._

<> 

“-you look a little pale.” Bill jumped when Dipper’s voice finally pierced through his stunned thoughts.

“Uh, what?” Bill swallowed thickly with eyes wide as he tried to gauge if the siren remembered as well.

“I asked if you were alright, you look like you’re going to faint.” Dipper probed offering the captain the canteen.

“Yeah, I’m fine, nothing some food won’t take care of.” Bill chuckled weakly and took the canteen.  The siren cringed, not sure if he was ready to eat anything. “You should eat to, trust me, you’ll feel better.”

“I don’t understand why you humans would subject yourselves to this regularly." The siren grumbled reaching up to rub his eyelids.

“For laughs mostly.” Bill chuckled and he walked the few steps to the burned out fire pit. There wasn’t much left of the boar that the hunting party had brought back but Bill managed to cut a few strips for Dipper and himself. He returned shortly and handed a few cuts of meat to the siren who seemed to be going a little green around the frills.

“What did they do to this?” Dipper asked as he turned the tough meat between his claws.

“Cooked it.” Bill stated simply as he watched his recovering crew pick up their stuff from the beach.

Dipper considered the pork in his hand before taking a bite out of it, his nose scrunching up at the texture of it but he could bear with the taste. The more he chewed however the more it felt like his insides were trying to rise out of his throat. He suddenly shoved the rest of his breakfast into Bill’s hands and ignored his foot as he bolted for the river, losing most of last night’s wine into the stream.

Bill cringed sympathetically as he heard the other retch and he rested a comforting hand on the other’s back, not rubbing lest he make the vomiting worse.

“Thanks.” Dipper panted breathlessly.

<> 

Bill sighed softly as he stood behind the ship’s wheel, Amalia standing beside him and Dipper was curled up in his cabin with a bucket. The captain was running the prior night’s events over in his head, worrying his lower lip between his teeth, hissing softly when he nipped the cut in his lip, but thankful that as far as he could tell Dipper didn’t remember or if he did he didn’t seem to have any intention of bringing it up. His eyes flickered over to Amalia anxiously and he cleared his throat.

“So… I kissed the siren last night.” He said suddenly and after a long moment she let out a low whistle.

“Christ it’s the satyrs all over again.”

“No, this is completely different!”

“Yeah, you’re right, Garret owes _me_ money this time.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: (Can you feel the love tonight playing aggressively in the foreground)
> 
> Also Bill might have a problem but can we honestly judge him for being weak?
> 
> Double also, I know I said this a few chapters ago but I'm going to say it again! Thank you all some much for reading I really appreciate all the comments and kudos!


	9. Rabbits Are Pack Hunters, Right?

A week.

A week since he and Bill had last had a proper conversation. The captain had blamed a sudden rise in complications on deck for his absence and Dipper not knowing much about ships believed him but it was leading to quite a few complications in the cabin. In his boredom Dipper had started scratching holes and designs into the boards usually in areas out of sight but they were starting to expand outward. A few blue feathers were floating around as well, the siren hadn’t meant to pull them out he had just been toying with them when the quills gave out.

The siren yawned as he lounged in the captain’s hammock, one of his arms hung off the edge and his claw lazily dug a grove in the wood as the hammock swayed with the movements of the ship. He was past the point where Leifson needed to visit him regularly but during his last visit he had told Dipper he was healing well though it would still be quite a while before the stitches and splints could come off. The siren couldn’t wait for that and he honestly wasn’t sure what he’d do first, maybe he’d go for a short flight or perhaps he’d climb the mast outside. He sighed as he thought over the possibilities, the only keeping him from a full blown case of cabin fever were his injuries.

He started when the door slammed open and Bill marched in, rain water rolling in with him. Dipper could see rain coming down in sheets behind the captain before forcibly closed the door, mumbling some insult toward jungles under his breath. He removed his hat, pouring even more water onto the floor and hung it on one corner of his chair then shrugged off his wet coat to hang it on the other corner.

“You look like a drowned ferret.” Dipper teased hoping to get a rise out of the captain.

“And you look like a poorly preserved mummy but you don’t see me bringing it up.” Bill shot back, a grin pulling at his lips. He cupped his hands over his mouth and blew into them before rubbing them together, trying to work the numbness out of his digits. Despite the warm, humid climate the rain had worked quite a chill into his skin.

Dipper grunted a little as he got out of the hammock and limped over to Bill where he carefully draped a wing over the other’s shoulders. If there’s anything you learn while living on cliffs by the ocean it’s the effect of rain and how to keep warm.

Bill looked at the siren’s wing before looking up at him, a small unbelieving sound resembling a laugh passed his lips. He wanted to put some distance between them, he did plan to make profit off the other but it was so easy to fall back into the siren’s company.

“I’ve been doing this for a little over a decade but I think this is the first time I’ve ever felt forgiven.” The pirate chuckled and Dipper shrugged reaching up to scratch the back of his neck.

“Well, as much as I hate to admit it it’s actually been fun and besides my sister is going to love this.” Dipper responded, he could imagine his sister laughing at him now but he could also imagine her jealous pout when he tells her about all the creatures he’s seen.  

“You don’t think your family is worried about you?” Bill asked turning toward the siren some but not leaving his wing.

“They probably are but hopefully they just think I eloped with someone, happens all the time.” Dipper said with a light laugh and dismissive wave of his hand.

“You eloping with someone?” Bill inquired bringing a hand up to his lips to help him hold in a laugh.

“No, I mean it’s just something sirens my age often do!” Dipper responded quickly, heat rising to his face. It was usually around this age that bonded to another and flew off to start a flock of their own, it could be rather spur of the moment at times.

“So… you’re not mad about all this?” Bill asked making a vague gesture between them with his hand.

“Now, not really, I’m honestly kind of impressed.” The siren admitted with a light laugh.

“Impressed?”

“Yeah, I mean killing me would have been one thing but you caught me and planned on holding me for months!” Dipper crossed one of his arms over his chest, gesturing with his other hand as he spoke. ”Imagine if you went hunting and a bunch of rabbits took you captive, at some point you’re going stop being mad and just be impressed.”

“Are you saying humans are on par with rabbits to you?” Bill asked placing a hand on his chest in mock offence which quickly became real offence with Dipper’s next statement.

“Of course not, rabbits are a lot harder to catch.” Dipper answered and snickered at the drop in the captain’s expression.

A sudden, unwelcome thought wormed its way into Dipper’s head. The siren had had a lot of time to think about the events of his initial capture and if these had been regular pirates he probably would have been killed, that’s how the lead hen’s youngest daughter went. A falter in his song is all it would have taken.

It was that same lack of respect for prey that led to sirens being drowned by dolphins, snatched out of the air by sharks or dragged off by big cats but it was also the same underestimation that allowed them to occasionally take down overconfident harpies. The sudden somberness was gone as quickly as it came, that hadn’t been Dipper’s first brush with death and he doubted it would be his last.

 “What about your family, aren’t they worried about you?” Dipper asked, hoping a distraction would keep his invasive thoughts at bay.

“My mother and brother don’t really know the full extent of my work, they think I deal in exotic pets.” Bill answered and the pair laughed. The captain wasn’t ashamed to say that good amount of his coin had gone toward his brother’s education, the younger of the two was a fine professor himself now.

“You know what, last time I visited them we had a family friend do some sketches of us.” The pirate said and walked out from under the cover of Dipper’s wing. He pulled open the drawers of his desk and shuffled around the contents until he found the book he was looking for. He opened it to pull out a piece of paper that was yellowing at the edge that had poking out of the book.

He opened it to reveal a slightly smudged drawing of himself and another man on either side of an elderly woman. The brothers were dressed casually while their mother wore a dress almost uniform in its formalness with a star shaped pin in her scarf. Her image gave off an air of authority despite her small, pudgy stature.

“She always looks so uptight in pictures.” Bill chuckled as returned to Dipper’s side, the book tucked under his arm. He handed the drawing to the siren who handled it incredibly gently between his claws. Dipper had to admit humans were much better at art then sirens, probably one of the many advantages of not having long claws at the ends of your fingers.

“What’s your brother’s name?” Dipper inquired. The young man in the image looked incredibly like Bill if only a few inches shorter.

“William, you mentioned a sister, does she have a name?”  The caption said taking the drawing back when Dipper handed it to him.

“Yeah, Mabel… sorry if this is a stupid question but can you read that?” The siren pointed to the book Bill was sliding the picture back into. The other blinked a few times looking down at the open book in his hand.

“I probably wouldn’t own it if I couldn’t.” Bill stated looking up at Dipper and was taken back a little by the absolute delight on the siren’s face.

“Do you think you could teach me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sirens are very high energy and when left to their own devices can be very destructive.
> 
> Seriously a few more days and Dipper would have been scratching up the furniture!


	10. Sneakery Will Get You Nowhere

Bill stared at his makeshift bookshelf with a furrowed brow, he wasn’t sure if he had anything that would be easy to read. His head whipped around when he heard a sliver of wood snap to catch a wide eyed siren kneeling beside his desk with his arms stretched out over the top of it, one clawed hand digging into the wood while his other palm was flexed out ready to follow suite. A warning glare is all it took for Dipper to pull his arms back and tucked his hands into the crooks of his elbows, the captain had already threatened his claws once today after finding all the marks all over his cabin. Bill sighed and turned his gaze back to the shelf, at this rate he’d need a new ship.

 He grabbed a lightly damaged book off the shelf and brought it over to his desk, sitting in his chair. It was a collection of sonnets and poems the captain enjoyed, many of the pages had been taken from other books and shoved into this one.  Earlier the siren had complained that the letters on regular book pages were too small and blurred together after a while so Bill hoped these would be easier on his eyes.

“These have less text then the others but they might be harder to read.” Bill advised sliding the book over to Dipper who opened it eagerly. He paged through it carefully so he didn’t rip the paper pausing over a sonnet.

“What is your sew… sab-“ Dipper had taken quickly to smaller words but struggled to sound out the larger ones.

“Substance.” Bill corrected him. The siren glanced up at him then back down at the word before giving a nod and continuing.

“Whereof are you made?” Dipper read the line and looked up at Bill for validation. A smile pulled at his lips when a grin formed on Bill’s.

“Perfect.” Bill praised and his gaze flickered to one of the room’s small window to see that the sky outside had darkened quite a bit since they had started. “Do you want to take a break, go for a walk?”

“Yes please.” Dipper sighed leaning back on his haunches. He was excited about learning to read and he had learned quite a lot these past few days but his head was starting to hurt.

The pair got to their feet, Dipper stretching his legs the best he could and his back cracked as he twisted his body. Bill grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and shrugged it on before heading to the door.

Everything outside was wet, something Bill complained about regularly while Dipper complained about not being able to play around in the rain that caused it. The sky overhead was still dark as if at any moment another downpour would descend upon them. Dipper’s ear frills twitched when he picked up the distant roll of thunder.

“I can’t wait for the storm to roll in.” Dipper said looking off in the direction that he heard the thunder come from.

“I thought birds hated rough winds.” Bill responded following the siren’s gaze though he knew he couldn’t see half the distance Dipper could. Under usual circumstances the captain would avoid storms as much as possible but as he was now stuck in a river he’d just have to deal with them as they came.

“Yeah if they’re not up for the challenge, I’ll have to take you flying some time.” Dipper grinned at the pirate, flying during storms was practically a sport amongst young sirens.

“I don’t have wings, Pigeon.” Bill reminded the other and playfully poked one of Dipper’s wings. The captain let out an undignified yelp as he was suddenly lifted off the deck into the siren’s arms. Dipper jostled him a bit testing his weight.

“Wow, you’re lighter than I thought, have you been eating alright?” The siren inquired, if all pirates were this light Dipper and his flock probably wouldn’t bother to hunt them as much as they did.

“I eat fine now put me down!” Bill demanded and Dipper laughed as a palm was pressed into his face. Of course that was a lie the captain was about as good at feeding himself as he was putting himself to bed.

“Alright, alright.” Dipper chuckled and set Bill back onto his feet. The captain went to punch him in the shoulder but before he could make contact Dipper hopped onto the side railing, crouching so he could use one of his hands for balance as his splinted foot wasn’t of much help. He quickly adjusted his position so he was lying on the rail, his splinted foot hanging off the side over the water’s surface.

Bill opened his mouth probably to command the siren to get down, not in the mood to dredge him out of the water if he fell in but stopped as he felt a fat drop of water land in his hair. He looked up toward the sky and bristled as another hit him directly between the eyes. He wiped the water off his face and glared at the snickering siren. The glare faded when he saw Dipper smile at the sky, laughing lightly as drops of water bounced off his feathers.

“Just try not to fall off.” Bill said before hurrying back to his cabin with a gust of cool air at his back.

Dipper blinked as he watched Bill’s retreating form, the captain had never left him outside before. He settled into his perch and relaxed as the rain started to come down harder, enjoying the feeling of cool, fresh water on his skin. He occasionally shook his wings when water built up and started to weigh down his feathers.

The curious siren grew bored after a while however and when an attempt to peen his feathers failed to keep his attention his eyes flickered to the crew. No one was paying him any mind, too focused in their chores or one another.

He stepped down from the railing and walked lightly across the deck. Dipper glanced around one more time before disappearing down the steps to the hold. A little light filtered in through the cracks between the deck boards but it was more than enough for Dipper to see clearly. He moved silently past the hammocks, not at all interested in the crew’s personal items, as he made a b-line for a door near the back.

He smiled as he turned the knob and found it unlocked, he opened it slowly lest the creaking hinges gave him away. Dipper slipped inside and carefully closed the door behind him before turning around to take in the room.

The butcher room was deathly still save for the drops of water sliding through the cracks coming down to tap away at the large, bolted down wooden table in the rooms center. Dipper placed one hand on the table as he walked around it, eyes following the walls as he studied the various heavy iron tools that hung from nails. He jumped as his splinted foot collided with an object on the floor sending it skidding across the wood, he peered after it to see that it was a sawed in half rib. It probably once belonged to the tatzelwurm.

Speak of the devil, to the side of the room the tatzelwurm’s pelt was stretched over a row of crates. The siren approached the pelt and lifted to look under it curiously. The crates were filled with jars, most of which were empty but a handful of them that contained organs from the harpy.

Dipper was so focused on his explorations of the room that he didn’t hear the door open.

“If curiosity isn’t good for cats I doubt it’s any better for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I got it in my head but I have this headcannon that Bill hates being cold like he's one of those people who wears a jacket in spring cause there's a cool breeze
> 
> Also I'm gonna start adding siren fun facts so here we go
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: Many species of siren including Dipper's, the Greater Sea Eagle, are terrible swimmers and can't take off from the water!


	11. A Challenger Approuches

“You really should be careful, these tools sometimes fall off you might’ve gotten hurt.”

Dipper watched the grey haired man carefully as he walked further into the room. The man was older but stocky, muscled in a way that didn’t make the siren feel good about his chances. The thing that really set Dipper on edge was the hard glint in the man’s eyes and the teeth hanging from a thread around his neck. Each tooth was clearly from a mythical creature and the siren recognized a couple from other sirens. The man strode leisurely around the table and reached up to push a large pair of pliers that was sitting precariously on its nail back into its place.

“Sorry, I forgot my manners, my name is Logan.” The man said with a low chuckle.

“You can call me Di-“

“Dipper, I know.” The man interrupted.

The two fell into a silence that made the siren’s feather bristled as he continued to maintain eye contact with Logan. Instinct and reason warred in Dipper’s head as he tried to decide on an appropriate way to respond to this man. Instinct demanded he challenge the other’s territorial aura, establish a hierarchy to avoid future conflicts and he subconsciously squared his shoulders but reason argued against that, humans didn’t operate that way and this wasn’t his place to do so. His nictitating membranes flickered anxiously over his eyes for a moment as he turned his gaze away first.

“I should go.” Dipper said after a while, nearly speaking under his breath.

“You should.” Logan stated simply and Dipper suppressed a snarl as he walked the far way around the table to avoid walking near the man.

Once the door to the butcher room was closed behind him Dipper moved as swiftly as his injuries allowed back toward the stairs, something queasy coiled in his chest now that he was out of Logan’s presence. Despite the burning in his back it caused he used his wings to make quick work of the stairway and he took in a deep breath as he returned to the deck, taking in the cool, wet air. The rain was a bit of a shock against his warm skin and the siren became all too aware of his heart beating in his chest.

He glanced back down the stairway and Dipper swallowed thickly, the depths seeming much darker then they had earlier. The siren grunted a little as walked stiffly toward the captain’s cabin, pain settling between his shoulders and he hoped he hadn’t reopened any of his stitches. Even with that threat he couldn’t resist the urge to shake his feathers when he entered the warmth of Bill’s cabin.

Dipper looked up and the glare he was receiving from a now slightly damp captain sitting at his desk pulled a light laugh from his lips. He ruffled his own hair causing more drops of water to fall though these ones weren’t flung at the captain.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Bill asked an amused smile on his lips as he rested his cheek in his palm.

“I did, it’s nice out.” Dipper responded simply as he used his hands to wipe water off his skin. Another laugh bubbled out of his chest as he heard a scoff from across the room.

“Once my books are dry do you want to pick up where we left off?” Bill inquired picking up his book of poetry, a few drops of water scattered over the cover.

“Sorry about that and actually, if it’s alright I’d like to do some reading on my own.” The siren said and almost took it back when he saw the disappointment flicker across the captain’s.

“Pigeon you’re making it really hard for me to make excuses to not go out there and do my job.” He grinned at the laugh he provoked out of the siren. “Good ahead, help yourself to whatever I have laying around.”

“Thanks, I’ll try not to keep you up later.” Dipper promised and Bill snorted.

“I highly doubt that’s going to be a problem.”

<> 

 Bill had been truthful without teaching Dipper to read he really couldn’t come up with any more excuses for himself to not go out and direct the crew. The siren didn’t mind, he was used to extended periods of time on his own by now but having this new skill made it much more tolerable. He dug around until he found a stack worth of books that caught his interest and threw himself headlong into them, taking in their information to the best of his ability.

After half an hour of trying to read a book written in a different language then the one Bill had been teaching him in he threw up his hands and got to his feet to try and pace off the frustration. He paused in front of the door after a few laps in front of the desk and looked through the small window. Dipper watched the crew for a few moments, twitching the skilled sailors quickly calmed him and he let out a sigh as tension ebbed out of him.

His keen eyes picked out a familiar shape amongst the many working to keep the ship in order and his lip pulled back over his teeth. Logan was standing off to one side, out of the way of the others, and he was holding his necklace in his hands, shifting the different teeth between his palms to make sure they were all accounted for. A snarl rumbled out of Dipper’s throat and he abruptly cut himself off, reaching up to touch his neck.

Dipper quickly stepped away from the window and his brow furrowed as he lightly rubbed the front of his throat. The siren had never in his years encountered anyone who provoked this amount of aggression in him without doing that much of anything. Sure the guy had been rude, a bit threatening, but the reaction he was having was scaring him a bit.

He shook his head a bit in an attempt to clear his head of his worries. He was sure he could figure this out but for now he’d just have to try to keep his reactions in check and keep a close eye on Logan. The siren returned the captain’s desk and pushed aside the frustrating book to focus on the poetry collection instead. His thoughts occasionally went back to Logan and his skin would prickle, feathers rising at the reminder that they were on a ship together.

“How’s the reading going?” Dipper jumped a bit when he heard the captain’s voice. He smiled as he looked up at the other, Bill’s appearance chasing the angry heat out of his skin.

“It’s been going alright, this one went right over my head though.” The siren responded and picked up the book that had been giving him problems. Bill took the book and gave a thoughtful hum as he skimmed a few pages.

“Well this one’s in Indonesian, the ones I’ve been using are in English.” Bill explained closing the book.

“Could you teach me Indonesian as well?” Dipper inquired hopefully but Bill’s expression quickly put a damper on that.

“I don’t think we’ll have enough time for me to fully teach you English Pigeon.”  The captain admitted.

“Oh… right.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna be honest I named him Logan because I love the Fable series even if my Fable II keeps running away
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: It's kind of incredible that Dipper is as healthy as he is. Sirens lay huge eggs and twins are fairly rare, coming with all sorts of complications for both the mother and the eggs. Dipper's egg was smaller then Mabel's and when it came time to hatch he needed Grunkle Stan's assistance to make it out of his shell!


	12. A Darkness is Near

“Why am I so weak?”

Amalia snorted and looked over at her captain who, as he was one to do once in a blue moon, manning the ship’s wheel. This had been an ongoing conversation for years but ever since the ‘beach incident’ as the two had taken to calling it the topic had eventually wound its way into every conversation they had. The navigator had known Bill’s ‘weakness’ would become relevant again the second she saw the siren especially when she saw how the two got along.

“I don’t know, maybe they just have a natural _animal_ magnetism that you’re into.” She teased and snickered at the sigh she received. In truth she had long ago chalked up her captain’s attraction to monsters to his death wish but he did seem more attached to this siren than any other creature he had fancied.

“I’m serious Amalia, I could really use some advice.” Bill pouted hoping to gain some sympathy from the slightly older woman.

“I think ya should just tell him you’re interested, I’m sure he’ll find your boldness attractive.” She responded simply, she didn’t know why he always had to complicate these things, the monsters sure didn’t.

“Ah yes and when would the perfect time to tell him be, back when I removed his shackles or maybe when I’m ushering him down the gangplank to give him to his new owner. You can’t start a relationship when there’s gold involved like that.” Bill snapped, he was a pirate not some coldhearted beast.

“I dunno, my husband married me for my dowry.” Amalia answered with a shrug.

“And where is he now?” Bill asked side eyeing his navigator with his voice heavy with implication and a laugh burst out of her throat.

“Alright, I’ll give ya that.” She snickered, letting out a sigh as her laughter passed. One could say the man was six feet under, that was if Amalia had bothered to give him a grave.

“I still would like some kind of advice.” The captain said reminding her of why they were having this conversation. Amalia put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips as she stared off into the distance, her index finger tapping on her waist.

“I honestly don’t know what ya want me to say, I never fancied any of my canaries like that.” She said and laughed again when Bill tried to playfully shove her without letting go of the wheel, nearly tripping over his own boots.

<> 

Bill entered his cabin to nearly run right into Leifson, the young doctor yelping as he stepped back. The captain blinked at him before glancing over to see Dipper examining his unwrapped chest. The siren still had stitches in but his wounds didn’t look nearly as angry as they had the night they had been stitched.

“How is he?” Bill asked looking back at Leifson.

“He’ll the need the stitches in for a while longer but he should do fine without the bandages so long as he doesn’t do anything too vigorous, like flying.” Leifson looked over his shoulder as he finished his sentence to give Dipper a warning glance.  The moment the doctor had told him he could take the bandages off the siren had almost fluttered out the door. Bill chuckled at the embarrassed, apologetic smile that Dipper offered Leifson.

“I’ll be sure to keep an eye on him.” Bill chuckled stepping aside so Leifson could head on his way, being the only doctor on board he was a very busy man.

“Oh I’m sure you will.” The doctor said under his breath as he walked by his captain, suppressing a smirk.

Bill glared after the younger man but he was already gone before the captain could say something back. He shook his head as he closed the door and walked into his cabin. Dipper had quickly gone back to looking over his newly revealed wounds and didn’t pay much mind to Bill as the man sat at his desk.

“How do you feel?” Bill inquired as he took out some papers and sat them before himself on the desk. Dipper looked up from one of his longer cuts and smiled at the captain.

“I’m feeling great, he said that once the stitches are out I might be able to fly a little bit and look!” The siren excitedly lifted his left foot to reveal it was no longer splinted though it was still wrapped tightly, he carefully flexed his talons to show his progress.

“Very nice, you’re looking a little dull though.” Bill said reaching forward to hook one of his fingers around a talon, his eyes widening a little bit as he saw the talon alone was longer than his finger.

“Yeah but that should fix itself after awhile.” Dipper responded and his talon tightened around the captain’s finger. The siren dropped his foot when the pirate took his hand back and looked at the papers curiously. “What are those?”

“Just some other requests we’ve gotten, say, what do you know about a little beast called the Black Shuck?” Bill inquired and looked up at the siren to be surprised by the fear that flickered over the other’s face.

“Black Shucks are not to be messed with.” Dipper stated with a brief shake of his head.

“They might be dangerous but doesn’t mean I can’t handle-“

“No you don’t understand, they’re immortal and can kill you before your time.” Dipper interrupted. Even among mythical beasts Black Shucks were considered something to fear and respect. The siren wrung his hands together as he considered if he should continue speaking.  “Considering what you do here’s a small tip from me to you, never run from anything immortal, it only attracts their attention.”

Bill listened to the siren intently and nodded before looking back down at the paper, perhaps he’d save this request for another day. He slipped the paper to the bottom of the stack and scanned the next one, thankfully this request was much simpler.

“Alright, what about unicorns?” Bill asked and the siren relaxed as Black Shucks were taken off the table.

The pair were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice a shadow passing over the door’s small window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have successfully put three different 'The Last Unicorn' references in three different fanfics and I couldn't be prouder!
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: There is a difference between mated and bonded sirens! Bonded sirens will stay together for many years in not for life while mated sirens will usually only stay together for a few weeks in not only a few days. On average sirens will bond with their third or forth mate.
> 
> Dipper has had two mates in the past!


	13. You Know the Rest

Dipper glared down at the papers beside Bill’s sleeping form on the desk, tempted to take the Black Shuck request and throw it over board. He hoped the captain hadn’t taken what he said as a challenge to go out and hunt the demon dog. He sighed, his gaze softening as he leaned down to blow out the candle, the flame had almost eaten the wick down to the metal of the candle holder and most of the wax had melted down the sides.

He ran a hand through his brown hair as he headed for the door, intending on taking a walk around the deck to get used to his foot being without the splint again. He’d like to say it was excitement from seeing his injuries make progress that was keeping him awake but in truth it was something else, the siren felt ill at ease though he couldn’t put his claw on why.

If it wasn’t for the handful of lanterns about the deck it would have been pitch black outside since the moon was blotted out by inky black clouds. Dipper looked up toward the helm, a bright light spilling out past the railing and Dipper strolled over to the stairs.

He hadn’t spoken to Amalia much himself but she seemed like a well-traveled woman and he hoped she could offer some advice that would calm his sudden anxiety. Dipper shot a small smile toward the wheel where he expected to see the navigator but it was quickly wiped away as he was startled to see Logan there.

“Making yourself at home aren’t ya?” Logan grumbled not taking his eyes off the water ahead of them.

“Where’s Amalia?” Dipper inquired ignoring the man’s question.

“Asleep, she’s no more immune to fatigue then our captain is.” He answered and finally turned his steely gaze to the siren. Dipper would have highly preferred if he had kept it on the water.

“So how long have you worked on this ship?” The siren asked as he took a few steps closer, trying to be friendly. He could see Logan visibly bristle as he approached him and stopped a couple steps short of standing next to him.

“I was born on this ship and I’ve worked under every captain who’s owned it.” Dipper could hear the annoyance in his gruff voice and he shifted on his feet. He could feel the queasy feeling broiling up in his chest again but he was hoping he could work through it and quell this tension between them.

“Is that common, for humans to be born on ships?” Within moments of asking the question Dipper was seeing stars as the back of his head slammed into the deck. He tried to draw back in the breath that had left him but a large hand wrapped around to stop it from passing down into his lungs, the knee pressing into his chest didn’t help.

“I ain’t human boy.” Logan growled and allowed his disguise to slip just enough to prove his point. Dipper watched in horror as Logan’s face extended into a powerful muzzle and his eyes drew together close enough for his reddening sclera to touch. As he spoke wisps of thin smoke and embers flew up between his pointed teeth. “Do you know what I am?”

What little breath Dipper could get came in fast and shallow and he quickly closed his eyes and turned his face away from Logan’s, legend had taught him better than to risk the Black Shuck’s cycloptic gaze. He shuddered as he felt heat from the other’s sulfur ridden breath washed over him and he could feel the pinpricks of embers burning into his skin.

“Y-yes.” Dipper managed to wheeze out.

“Good, you’ll pay attention then.” Logan’s voice was difficult to understand as it rumbled out of his chest and was made up of growls more than anything resembling a language.

“This is _my_ ship, I’m the only thing holding it together and I ain’t about to share it with the likes of you.” He snarled and his jaws came within snapping distance of Dipper’s head, he pulled the siren up by his neck to slam him back into the wood and Dipper’s eyes shooting wide as his skull knocked into the deck again. “So this is what you’re going to do, you’re gonna get real homesick so much so that Cipher’s gonna speed this little venture up, idiot might be twisted but he’s soft for a sad, pretty face, and then, then you’re gonna be sold off and don’t care what you do after that as long as you don’t come back.”

Dipper was frozen with fear as he tried to comprehend the command he was being given, the edges of his vision were starting to get fuzzy. Logan pulled his hand away and the siren took in a long gasp of breath, his throat throbbing from the pressure that had been inflicted upon it.

“Understand?” Logan barked when Dipper took too much time catching his breath. The siren flinched at the sound and he pressed his palms into the deck, wanting to bolt but the knee on his chest kept him pinned.

“Yes I understand.” Dipper panted, his eyes focusing on the sky behind Logan’s head.

“Good, get out of here.” Logan’s face returned to normal as he stood up and once the weight was lifted from Dipper’s chest the siren was gone, returning to the safety of the captain’s cabin in seconds.

Dipper stood there in the dark with wide brown eyes that weren’t looking at anything and every fiber of his being felt ill. He walked with unsteady steps toward the desk, he felt so unbearably cold that he thought nothing of sliding Bill’s coat off the back of his chair and across his own shoulders thankfully it was large enough that his wings didn’t cause too many problems.

Once he had calmed down some he started to lightly brush away the spots were embers had burned him and when the little bits of ash were gone they left behind small red spots that would hopefully be gone in a few hours. Dipper ran a hand through his hair he walked over to the empty hammock, his mind raced as he curled up in it and pulled Bill’s coat over himself. He wanted to plan but he couldn’t even think of where to begin.

Mental and emotional exhaustion set in quickly as the adrenaline wore off and he fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.

<> 

In the morning Bill was the first of the pair in the cabin to wake. He groaned as he sat up, his back sore from the position he had fallen asleep in. He stood up and reached out to grab his coat only for his hand to meet the smooth wood of his chair. Bill first looked to the floor thinking it had slipped off during the night but when he saw it wasn’t there he glanced around the room, quickly spotting it over the form of the sleeping siren.

Bill tried not to think too much about the bloom of warmth in his chest as he approached the hammock. The small smile that had formed on his lips fell when he saw the little red spots dusted over the siren’s collarbone and neck, he made a mental note to inquire how Dipper felt when he woke up, who knew what kind of disease or parasite he could have picked up eating that raw river fish.

The siren’s face was scrunched up as if he was in deep, stressful thought. Bill reached down and gently rubbed his thumb between Dipper’s brows until the wrinkles there relaxed, it was a simple action that his mother used to do for him occasionally and he used to do for his brother. He adjusted his coat so it gave the other better coverage before heading out to get breakfast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I took a quiz that told me what level of hell I'd go to, I got city of dis, I wonder what level Logan would go to? Probably what ever level Cerberus is on!
> 
> Fun Dip Fact: Since we're all gossipy old grandmas let's talk about Dipper's love life! His first mate was a tall, scrawny gull but not from the flock he lives with, the other male's flock was migrating along the coast. They met while trying to compete for the attention of the same hen and ended up actually fighting, tension boiled over into frustrated making out. They had to separate shortly after, the gull's flock was still on the migration path, but honestly Mabel was more dramatic about it then Dipper.
> 
> His second mate came a few years later, this adorably pudgy Hazel Grouse hen who had been convinced to migrate that year by her sparrow friends. The thing about grouses is that they're not the most monogamous of birds and they raise their little ones alone, it's not implausible to say that wherever she is now she probably has a few eaglets in tow. Dipper was definitely heartbroken when she left to go home in the spring.


	14. Words Aren't Proof

Dipper awoke with the scent of smoke in his nose. His stomach churned as he sat up, sleeping on this problem had offered no clearer insight on what to do. The Black Shuck wasn’t an enemy he could fight, merely making eye contact would seal his fate but he supposed he could outwit the hellhound if he was daring enough. His tired eyes fell to the coat in his lap, his fingers had been worrying the fabric while he had been thinking and he pulled the warm fabric up to his chest. The smell of ash was replaced by Bill’s scent intermingling with his own.

The siren started suddenly when the door to the cabin opened and Bill strolled in. The man’s blond hair was damp from the morning mist and his dark skin could vaguely be seen through the white fabric of his shirt.

“Good you’re awake, I wanted to ask you something earlier but you were asleep.” Bill began as he walked into the room. His face was split with a grin that under normal circumstances would have been infectious to the siren.

“Bill…” The name passed Dipper’s lips weakly but he wasn’t loud enough to catch the pirate’s attention.

“How are you feeling, I noticed some marks on you earlier but it looks like they’re gone now.” Bill continued talking as he approached the hammock and his eye glanced the other over. Dipper looked up at Bill as his brain raced to measure the risks of the truth versus the lie he had been commanded to tell.

“Bill.” Dipper repeated a little louder this time. Bill paused and his grin fell, surprised by the siren’s tone.

“Yeah Pigeon?” Bill inquired.

“I need to tell you something.” Dipper responded and wetted his lips nervously. Bill took a step back as Dipper stood out of the hammock, the other’s coat still in his hands. “It’s about Logan.”

“When did you meet-“

“He’s a Black Shuck.” Dipper’s voice was hushed as he interrupted the other, wary of eavesdropping ears.

Bill’s brow furrowed, Logan had been part of the crew since the beginning as he had served under its past owner and had proven to be one of the most valuable crew members as a skilled sailor and a remarkable poacher besides the pirate was sure that if a member of his crew was a monster of any kind he’d have noticed at some point.

“Wait, wait, wait what gave you that impression?” Bill asked, he knew the older man could be abrasive but not so much that he’d ever had anyone accuse him of being dangerous.

“Last night I went out for a walk and I tried to talk with him but he threw me down and choked me.” Dipper lifted his chin to show the light, line shaped bruises on his neck and Bill’s eyes widened. “His face morphed as well, he had a muzzle and I could smell death on him.”

Dipper felt anxiety coil in his lungs as he saw the skepticism in the other’s face.  Bill’s thoughts were moving quickly, he wasn’t too sure about the muzzle thing but he couldn’t deny those marks and he knew Logan had little patience when it came to monsters which was why he was never allowed to supervise them. It quickly occurred to him that after there talk Dipper might have just dreamed the weirder part of his confrontation with Logan but he wouldn't accuse him of that, Bill's sleeping habits being what they were there had been more then one occasion when he had woken up thinking his dreams were real but h would snap out of it within the day. The pirate reached to gently tilt Dipper’s head again so he could examine the marks more closely. Dipper couldn’t suppress the shiver he got as fingers gingerly traced his throat and ghosted over his new bruises.

“He’s going to get a real lashing for this.” Bill grumbled and another shiver ran through the siren as warm breath coasted over his skin. Regardless of how Bill felt about the siren or the story he had been told this was inexcusable behavior from a member of his crew.

“He told me to lie to you as well, you can’t let him know that I told you.” Dipper said quickly, he hadn’t had time to think of a plan yet.

“Pigeon, listen, I’m the captain of this ship and its part of my responsibility to make sure everyone at least tolerates one another and, that,” Bill pointed to Dipper’s throat. “Isn’t what tolerance looks like.”

The siren watched with wide terrified eyes as Bill pulled away from him, grabbing his hat as he headed toward the door. Dipper could barely manage to make a sound before Bill opened the door to his cabin and called out to his crew about wanting to see Logan. The pirate returned to Dipper’s side for a moment to take back his coat, the siren releasing it willingly and he slipped it on before sitting at his desk.

Dipper could see Logan’s bulky form approaching the cabin through the small window in the door. The man looked unconcerned though he must have known what this was going to be about. The siren stepped closer to Bill and placed a hand on the back of the man’s chair, his claws digging into the wood as the door opened once more.

“Ya wanted to see me?” Logan asked as he stepped into the room and his gaze flickered to the siren for a mere moment before he focused on his captain, the image of professionalism.

“Would you like to explain the marks on the siren’s neck cause he tells me you put them there.” Bill responded placing his elbows on his desk, his fingers intertwining. Logan cleared his throat and shifted his weight on his feet.

“I won’t lie, I lost my temper with him last night.” Logan answered, he didn’t try to justify his lapse in judgment.

“Why?” The captain didn’t particularly care for any excuse the man might have but if he wanted to accuse the siren of anything this was his chance.

“He wanted to talk and as you can see I had none of it.” He said simply his hands going to rest behind his back. The more Dipper watched the man the more unnerved he became, Logan hadn’t denied anything yet and now that they were in the presence of others his eyes didn’t have that same steely edge Dipper was accustomed to.

“Have you been dabbling in magic at all?” Bill continued his questioning.

“Of course not, I ain’t a witch.” Logan replied. Bill wasn’t surprised the man had made his distaste of magic very clear over the years.

“Too bad we could use one, tell Amalia that you’ll be taking her night shift for the rest of the week and if anything like this ever happens again you’ll be put on shore leave. Understand?” Bill stated firmly, he’d put together a more fitting punishment while Logan was taking Amalia’s shift.

“Yes sir.” Logan didn’t argue and he exited the room without another word when he was dismissed.

“That’s it?” Dipper asked once he was sure Logan was out of range. He pulled his claws out of the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Pigeon, Logan has been a part of this ship’s crew longer then I have I can’t just accuse him of being a dangerous monster.” Bill said trying to be firm with the siren as well but the look of distress on Dipper’s face softened him. He stood up and placed his hands on Dipper’s shoulders, giving him a reassuring smile.

“Listen, if you find any proof I’ll look into it more, okay?”

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Come on Logan a little witchcraft won't hurt you!
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: Sirens are not inherently magical like some other mythical beasts, their ability to control people comes from their highly specialized vocal cords. On that note not all sirens are dangerous to humans, 'prey songs' and how to sing them are things they learn when they start hunting. In areas where sirens have little to no contact with humans they will usually learn how to control a different prey item.


	15. Do Your Cooking by the Book

Dipper aggressively dug through Bill’s bookshelf, occasionally opening a book and skimming through it before pushing it back into its place. Something he had learned while he got better at reading was that his knowledge of the world compared to what humans knew was rudimentary. He was currently looking for something that would back up a story he was told as a hatchling.

He growled as he slammed another book back into its slot and sighed as he rubbed his face. Nothing, he should have known better even among sirens the story was obscure. He’d just have to hope there was some truth to the old folktale.

Dipper turned away from the bookshelf and walked over to the door to peer through the window. He watched the sailors for a few moments with his hand on the knob, once he was sure everyone was preoccupied he opened the door. The siren swiftly ducked down the stairs that lead to the lower levels of the ship. His brown eyes scanned the room and he froze when he spotted someone sleeping in one of the cots. His toes were tense as he walked to keep his talons from clicking against the wood. He kept a paranoid eye on the sleeping form as he slinked around the stairs to open the cabinet that was shoved into the tight space beneath it.

Dipper suppressed a sigh as he found exactly what he was looking for, bowls. He snatched one of the wooden bowls before pulling open one of the drawers and carefully shifted around the utensils within until he found the head of a spoon, the handle had snapped off long ago. Dipper set the spoon into the bowl and closed the cabinet up before he snuck back around to the stairs. The siren took a final glance at the form and was relieved to see they hadn’t moved at all.

He silently moved up the stairs, peeking up onto the deck before he came all the way up. The siren made his way up to the helm and was thankful to see Amalia was still behind the wheel.

“Hey Dipper, thanks for getting me off night shift.” She chuckled as he approached her.

“So you heard about that already?” Dipper responded offering an awkward smile.

“Oh yeah, Bill’s ‘authority’ voice is a lot louder than he thinks it is, what’s the bowl about?” Amalia inquired pointing toward Dipper’s hands. He glanced down at his hands and anxiously shifted the bowl before looking back up at her.

“I was wondering if I could ask a favor.” He said and he could feel little beads of sweat form on the back of his neck when she didn’t respond immediately. She rubbed her chin as she considered it before giving a nod and shrug.

“What can I do for ya?”

“I was hoping you could cover for me while I go for a little flight?” Dipper’s request came out more of a question then a statement. The navigator grimaced a bit as she sucked in a breath of air.

“I don’t know, what does going for a flight have to do with the bowl?” Amalia asked.

“It’s a little embarrassing,” The siren admitted reaching up to rub the back of his neck. “but sirens need to eat stones to help with… digestion so I’m bringing the bowl to collect pebbles in.”

“Firstly, thank you for sparing me the details and secondly, go on I’ll cover for you as long as I can.” Amalia allowed and vaguely gestured over her shoulder toward the back of the ship. Dipper let out the breath he didn’t know he had been holding.

“Thanks, I’ll be back in a few hours at most.” He said with a smile and gave her wave as he passed her. She returned the wave before refocusing on the water ahead of her, she was about to question him about why he’d think he’d be gone that long but seeing as the river banks were mostly mud and grass she could imagine it would take him a while.

He stepped onto the railing and stepped off the other side with his wings held out to glide down to the bank. Halfway through his glide Dipper had to give a few desperate flutters as he felt himself dropping a lot quicker than he wanted to. There was a loud squelch as his feet hit the bank, sinking into the mud that was held together by grass roots and he let out a pant as he looked back at the relatively short distance between the bank and the back of the ship. He rolled his shoulders and was suddenly aware that his wings felt a lot lighter then he remembered, he had lost a lot of muscle while waiting for his injuries to heal. The siren looked down at himself with a critical eye, the river fish he had been eating weren’t exactly the leanest things he’d ever eaten either.

He shook his head before he trudged forward toward dry land, he could worry about his diet later he needed to focus on this first. He scanned the thick vegetation looking for anything that seemed extraordinarily lush for a jungle, squinting in an attempt to gain a few more meters of his sight.

A cluster of red blossoms stood out amongst the dark greens like a beacon and Dipper was quick to respond. His long legs carried him through the underbrush and thin vines growing along the ground snapped easily against the scaly skin of his lower legs, their thorns failing to puncture.

As he drew closer more flower clusters were revealed, sprouting out of cracks in the bark of the trees from the roots to far up in the canopy. Dipper paused amongst the blossoms when he felt a gentle, tingling warmth spread up the back of his arms to his cheeks. He reached out to drag his claw along one of the blossom’s stiff, pointed petals.

He turned his eyes down to the jungle floor and he quickly spotted the large toadstools that sprouted around the edge of where the blossoms grew. He crouched down beside the boundary and plucked a small toadstool to drop into his bowl.

Dipper stood up and started eyeing the canopy for the next ingredient. He stopped at the base of the largest tree within the toadstool circle and pulled the spoon head out of the bowl before setting it on the ground. The siren popped the spoon between his lips before sinking his claws into the tree bark and with a grunt lifted himself up, planting his talons into the tree as well for support. He felt the muscles in his arms burn as he scaled the tree and he cursed himself for not being more proactive during his recovery.

He anchored the claws of his left hand above an open hollow in the tree so he could easily peer inside where he saw the golden brown outer shell of a hive tucked away. He reached inside and cracked the shell, pulling a section of it away so the shining honey within spilled out. Dipper took the spoon out of his mouth and used it to gather as much of the honey as possible.

Once the spoon was overflowing he pushed away from the tree and glided down in spirals back to the ground. He scooped up the bowl and quickly dropped the spoon into it before anymore honey could drip down his hand. Dipper licked his fingers clean as he debated which of the flowers near him was the largest.

He grabbed one of the larger blossoms and tilted it to pour the captured rain water into the bowl. The siren looked down at the contents of the bowl, the honey had already started leaking into the water and bits of it were clinging to the toadstool. He needed just one more thing and hopefully it would be enough since he had no magic he could contribute to the mix.

Dipper’s lips parted and the sound of a piccolo invaded the surroundings, his brow furrowed as he focused. His throat tensed as his vocal cords strained to make the unnatural sound.

He was about to run out of breath when a flickering light entered his vision. Dipper stopped whistling as he focused on the approaching fuchsia light and he held out his hand. A pair of tiny feet landed in his palm and two huge black eyes looked up at him.

The fairy whistled at him and tilted her head as she intently waited for his response. She was dressed in a tunic made from a butterfly’s wing and the flowing antennas that made up her hair were tied back with a plant stem.  Her oblong, translucent wings lazily opened and closed to ward off the jungle heat.

She let out a started yelp as Dipper’s fingers suddenly closed around her legs. She hissed at him revealing all her needle like teeth and her body flashed black and vibrant yellow. The siren made a small sound of pain as she bit him, her teeth successfully digging into his scaly skin.

Dipper mumbled his apologies as he carefully held her over the bowl. He gently blew on her and cloud of sparkling dust was dislodged from the tiny hairs covering her body. It floated down into the water honey mixture causing it to glow.

He released her and she flitted away into the canopy. As quickly as she disappeared behind the leaves several new fairies appeared, shooting down straight toward Dipper. The siren placed one hand over the bowl as he turned tail and ran as fast as he could away from the fairy circle, knocking a bunch of toadstools over on his way out.

He nearly stumbled as he raced toward the river when he felt burning pain spread throughout his shoulder. Dipper wanted to use his wings but the trees were too tightly packed and he was moving too fast for him to fully extend his wings.

Dipper heard an earsplitting squeal and he glanced over his shoulder to see the fairies taking off after a large bird that had snatched one of them. He let out a sigh of relief and allowed himself to slow to a walk, he reached back to touch his still burning shoulder. He hissed when his fingers collided with one of the five barbs now protruding from his skin. Dipper grabbed the bard and tried to pull it out but the tip of the barb was fastened into his flesh. He let it go, he knew from a past experience with a porcupine that he’d probably need someone else’s help to get those out.

The siren looked downstream and was happy to see the backend of the ship was in sight though now at quite the distance. He followed behind it, grabbing the spoon by what was left of the handle and began to crush the ingredients together with the spoon’s flat underside.  He grumbled as he worked, repeatedly smashing the toadstool until it was a paste and then mixing it with the water and honey. The fairy dust quickly dissolved and the glow dissipated but the mixture turned a pearlescent white.

He looked down at the mixture skeptically, the salve was watery and he could see tiny chunks of the pale toadstool floating in it. Dipper worried his lower lip, this didn’t look like a proper potion to him but if it worked, even a little, it should dispel Logan’s disguise. He swallowed thickly before taking off and he growled softly as sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

He landed on the railing heavily, startling Amalia who hadn’t heard him approach and he could drops of warm blood roll down his back from his opening stitches. He stepped down and walked across to the opposing railing, he could hear Amalia talking to him but he was too focused to make out what. The siren’s eyes scoured the deck as his fingers scooped up as much of the ointment as he could manage.

Logan dropped the crate he had been moving when something wet smacked him in his left eye. He snarled as one of his hands flew up to touch the area and when he brought his hand down to look at what had hit him he froze.  Black fur sprouted from wherever the salve touched him and the two fingers that were smeared with the stuff were long, thin and ended in curved claws.

His blood turned to ice in his veins when he heard the first horrified gasp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Fairy ointment, to bring out that inner mythical beast!
> 
> Fun Logan Fact: If he were to go to hell Logan would end up at level 8!


	16. A Moment of Calm, Just a Moment

Logan looked around at his fellow crewmates as they turned to look at him in wide eyed horror. His left eye was surrounded by black, gray speckled fur and the eye itself was a gleaming amber with a slit pupil.

“The hell Logan?” Said man’s gaze focused on Bill who was staring at him in disbelief. Logan’s lips parted as his mind reeled trying to think of any excuse or lie that would smooth this over but the only thing that kept coming to the forefront of his thoughts was the decades of work being shattered in front of him.

He swallowed thickly as panic struck him and in a desperate attempt at self-preservation Logan transformed into a short, pudgy woman with a star shaped pin in her scarf. The visage was marred however as the areas the ointment touched didn’t change.

Bill took a startled step back, the siren had been right Logan was far from being human. Nearly on instinct the captain reached into his coat and withdrew his pistol pointing it at the twisted vision of his mother.

“I don’t want to shoot you Logan.” He stated. “Just show us what you are.”

Logan squeezed his eyes shut as he took on the form he hadn’t used in years. His body was covered in black fur while his face was frosted with gray furs. He had a thick barrel chest and long limbs with curved claws at the ends of his digits. His feline face was scrunched up in anger with tufted ears pressed against his skull and his long, two pronged tail flicked nearly hitting the wood of the deck.

The nekomata could hear his crewmates starting to talk around him. Logan’s eyes cracked open and he glared up at Dipper who was still standing behind the upper railing, brown eyes wide as he watched everything unfold on the deck stunned by the realization that he had been tricked. The feline growled, hackles going stiff along his spine and with little effort launched himself up to grab a hold of the edge of the helm. He reached between the railing bars to slash at the feet of the siren.

Dipper hopped onto the railing to avoid the attack and his feathers stood on end as Logan hauled himself up onto the railing. The siren bared his teeth and a hiss seethed out of his throat as he prepared to fight the nekomata. Logan huffed and hissed in return, his tail lashing from side to side.

“I should have just killed ya, we could have caught something less uppity.” Logan’s lip curled to reveal yellowing teeth that were beginning to dull from use.

A gunshot rang out and Logan’s eyes went wide as his grip on the railing slipped. He hit the deck with a hard thud and he groaned as he pushed himself up onto his elbow to look at the newly formed hole in his shoulder. Logan looked up at the man standing over him before turning his gaze down to the deck, gritting his teeth.

The sun was blazing off Bill’s golden eye as he holstered his pistol and turned to the rest of his crew who were standing by silently. Many of the sailors were looking between their captain and the creature that had once been a trusted crewmember.

“I want someone to take him below.” Bill said and ran a hand through his hair.

One of Bill’s pirates came forward and leaned down to grab Logan by his good arm only to recoil when he was snarled at. The nekomata pushed himself up onto his own feet and started toward the stairs, the sailor following close behind. He paused on the first step and turned his burning gaze to Bill.

“Do you think you’d be able to hold half the beasts you have if I wasn’t here?” Logan questioned but didn’t receive an answer as he was forced to continue down below. Bill wetted his lips, the only sign of anxiousness he gave.

Bill watched them until he couldn’t see them anymore then he ordered a few other pirates to go after them to make sure Logan didn’t try anything. A shadow came over him and he turned his gaze skyward to see Dipper outlined by the sun.

<> 

The inside of the captain’s cabin was dark not that Dipper noticed being as lost in thought as he was. His claws picked away at the barbs in his shoulder as he thought about the shapeshifter, a dull throb pulsing throughout his upper arm. He could hear arguing outside but he had long since stopped trying to understand what was being said but when he last checked the crew seemed pretty divided on what they wanted to do with Logan.

The arguing came in much clearer when the door opened and Bill stormed in closing the door behind him, muffling the voices once again. He was using his thumb and index finger to rub his eyes. Bill quickly spotted the siren sitting off to the side when he looked up from his fingers.

“So this is where you disappeared to.” Bill approached Dipper hoping he didn’t look as tired as he sounded. “What are you picking at, let me look.”

Dipper turned so Bill could see the five barbs sticking out of his shoulder, the barb he had been picking at was broken in several places. He could feel Bill kneeling down behind him and he jumped a little when a hand was pressed into his skin, another hand grabbing the barb he had been working on.

“How is everything going on out there?” Dipper asked trying his best not to hiss as Bill turned the barb.

“Well, half of the crew wants him dead and the other half wants me to let him go.” The captain explained and suppressed a sigh. He turned the barb so he could push it out and he turned it over between his fingers, studying the needle like hook. “I told them I’d give my verdict tomorrow.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know yet.”

A smothering silence fell over the pair occasionally broken up by Dipper reacting to the pain. Dipper’s hands sat, clasped together in his lap, his grip tightening whenever Bill pulled or turned a barb in the wrong direction. He could feel the tension in Bill’s touch.

“I’m sorry about how this turned out.” The siren said after a while. He honestly didn’t have a plan for after he exposed Logan and he couldn’t deny the relief he felt when he saw a nekomata instead of a Black Shuck. He also hadn’t considered how this could upset the structure of the crew.

“Don’t be, I should of… I should have known something was wrong with him.” Bill sighed, so many memories were coming to the forefront of his mind and he berated himself for every one where he should have seen something suspicious in the other man’s behavior.

Dipper worried his lower lip for a moment, he wanted to offer advice but he had never been in a situation like this. There was one thing he could do.

_“I suppose that I look different without the robes and crown,_

_I come this day before you with no riches, no renown.”_

Dipper put just a touch of manipulation into his voice, enough to calm Bill’s nerves hopefully without him noticing he was doing it on purpose. He waspleased to feel Bill's touch soften, his hands starting to move a little slower.

_“For here I am no leader, I am just a humble man,_

_And I only ask you take me, take me as I am,_

_I’m not looking for perfection, I’m not offering a saint.”_

Dipper abruptly went silent as he found himself lost for the rest of the song. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember, what kind of siren forgot a song, before he was caught off guard by Bill picking up where he left off.

“I’m not looking for a pretty bird to put in some restraint.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think should be done with Logan?
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: When sirens like Dipper hunt they usually rely on the force of impact to kill their prey.


	17. Two Sides of the Same Magic

_“Who did this to ya?”_

_A gruff voice spoke through a black beard and pain surged throughout the small creature’s neck as their scruff was gingerly touched. Their ears rang with their own desperate mewling and their watery eyes could barely see beyond their tiny paws balancing on thick, calloused fingers._

_“I think you should stay with me from now on.”_

<> 

Logan’s eyes snapped open, his pupils slivers for a split second before widening to make up for the lack of light. He quickly made out a shadowy figure approaching his cage and his whiskers bristled when he saw a familiar pair of eyes reflecting what little light there was this far down in the ship at this time of night.

“What do ya want?” Logan grumbled as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his tailing unfurling from around his body. His eyes narrowed painfully as Dipper turned the dial on the side of the lantern he was carrying, a small flame coming to life within the glass.

“I just wanted to talk.” Dipper said in a hushed tone. Logan didn’t reply, his expression guarded as he waited for the siren to continue. “Firstly, I just wanted to apo-“

“Don’t, ya wild things never mean it anyway.” Logan interrupted. Dipper took offense but swallowed his retort,he wanted answers not an argument and besides he wasn’t the one in the cage right now.

“Alright I’ll just get straight to it then, what’s with you and this ship, this isn’t exactly the natural habitat for a nekomata.” The siren inquired setting the lantern on the floor. He had seen nekomata before during his migrations, some mountains where teeming with them and he doubted a singular ship could be as satisfying as an entire mountain range. In fact now that he got a closer look at Logan he realized the other was a lot smaller and softer than any nekomata he had ever seen.

Logan’s ears pressed flat against his skull and his tail swept across the floor, brushing away bits of straw and dirt.

“I told you I was born here didn’t I?” Logan responded glaring the siren down. Dipper in an attempt to be casual went to lean against the cage but before his skin could make contact a red energy sparked down the metal bars and shocked. He jumped away from the cage, clasping his upper arm and his ears burned when he heard a small huff of a laugh come from within the cage.

“Well you had me believe a couple of things, most of which was not true.” Dipper rubbed his arm before pulling his fingers away to inspect the damage, there was a red splotch on his arm but it was quickly receding.

“I suppose but I was truthful in that, my mother made her nest over…” The nekomata trailed off as looked into the darkness, he brought up a hand as if he was going to point the spot out but dropped it when he couldn’t recall. “The ship’s changed a lot since I was a kitten.”

Logan had seen the ship pass between five different captains and after negligent owners and Bill renovating it for his poaching the ship was near unrecognizable.

“Not many spend their entire lives in the place they were born.” Dipper pressed on wanting to know what drove a fellow mythical to stay in such unnatural surroundings.

“Like you, I’d never seen a siren like you on the coast before.” Logan retorted leaning back some with his paws on his knees, flinching at a twinge of pain in his shoulder. Thankfully he knew how to remove a bullet by himself, this wasn’t the first time he had been shot and it wasn’t the first time he had been shot by a captain.

“Right, I stopped migrating when my adult feathers started coming in, hated the traveling but have you ever been off this ship?” Dipper tried to remember if he saw Logan get off the ship when they stopped at the river bank.

“A handful of times but aye.” The nekomata tightened his jaw, not about to admit to the siren that the ship had only ever been out of his sight range once in his life. His lip pulled back over his teeth as he yawned, his tongue curling in the cavern of his mouth before it snapped shut and he sniffed as he recovered his sight. “Did ya just come down here to keep me up?”

“No, sorry, I just thought this would be my only chance to really talk to you.” Dipper explained with a slight smile. The siren fiddled with one of his claws as Logan didn’t respond but only watched him with an uninterested expression. “Can I ask you one more thing before I leave?”

“I can’t really stop ya now can I?” Logan allowed with a huff through his nose and his ears lifted from their place against his scalp. Dipper was a bit taken aback as he looked at the nekomata, he couldn’t imagine being this calm in this situation. There was no sign anywhere that Logan had struggled, all the claw marks in the wood where old and the nekomata himself looked at peace despite the fact he must’ve known what was to come. Perhaps resigned was a better word for what Logan was experiencing.

“Do you always try to scare other monsters into submission?” Logan sneered at the implication that he was anything like the creatures that he poached.

“Only the ones that need scaring.” He stated simply. He used fear like a sheepdog used its bark to guide sheep toward their best interest though unlike the sheepdog Logan could rarely make good on his threats. Logan had learned early on that every beast had something they were afraid of and most would do anything to ensure their safety.

“Right.” Dipper replied after a beat of silence. They kept even eye contact for a moment before Logan’s gaze turned to something off in the dark, his tufted ear flicking.

“Has Cipher said what he plans to do with me?” Logan inquired trying his best not to look anxious, he knew the siren and the captain were close, it wasn’t exactly a secret to the crew. He gritted his teeth at the idea that should he be killed Dipper might become a permanent resident of the ship.

“Last I spoke to him he hadn’t decided.” Dipper answered truthfully though he wasn’t sure if it was something he should be talking about.

“Typical.” Logan scoffed the fact he was still down here should have been clue enough that Bill didn’t know what he wanted to do. He sighed and reached up to rub the length of fur under his chin before he looked up at the siren again. “I suppose it might be too late for this but can I ask a favor of ya?”

“You can ask.” Dipper wouldn’t necessarily follow through on the request but he was curious.

“The ship lost her name a few decades ago, the uh… the paint wore off.” Logan suppressed a growl as he remembered the drunkard who had allowed the ship to fall into such a state of disrepair; he had been scared she would have had to be sunk. “But her name is ‘The Jacqueline’ so if Cipher puts me down tomorrow try to get her name back on there for me.”

“I can do that.” Dipper promised, surprised by the simplicity of the request. The siren leaned down and picked up the lantern. “You probably want to get back to sleep.”

Logan gave a curt nod before Dipper turned off the lantern and a hoarse breath passed his lips as the siren disappeared up the ladder. He tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling of his cage, there was a strange lightness to him now that he no longer had a web of lies to maintain.

He reached up to rub the back of his neck feeling the small bald spots where fur had refused to grow over scars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Merry late Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a lot of fun over the holidays!
> 
> Okay this is gonna be kinda of long so firstly, if at any point you want to draw or have something drawn from any of my fics go right ahead! I only ask you show it to me when its down!
> 
> Next I'm super pleased with everyone's reaction to last week's question, survival (and its successes and failures) is a huge thing in my original stuff so I'm glad to see that I could bring it to this fic a little bit!
> 
> Lastly since its been awhile since I've last said it, thank you all for reading and leaving your kudos and comments! I appreciate it so much!
> 
> Fun Logan Fact: Logan's mother was a 'Domesticated' Nekomata while his father was of the 'Mountains' variety, a fact his mother was never very pleasant about.


	18. A Flash Before the Eyes

Dipper opened to door to the captain’s cabin and was startled to see Bill was awake. The man was sitting in his chair, gently glowing from the light of the candle with a length of leather in one hand and a threaded needle in the other. Bill looked up from his handiwork when he heard the siren walk in.

“Go for a walk?” Bill asked as his gaze turned back down to the leather in his hands to continue stitching a design into it.

“No, I went down to talk to Logan.” That got Bill to look back up.

“What did you two talk about?” 

“I tried to get him to talk about himself, didn’t get much.” The siren answered and Bill wasn’t surprised, Logan never liked talking about personal matters. Dipper closed the door behind him and he walked over to the desk, the old boards creaking beneath his feet. “What are you working on?”

Bill glanced down at the leather in his hands and passed his needle over to his other hand before opening a small wooden box sitting on the corner of his desk. Dipper tilted his head as he heard the shuffle of papers before Bill tossed something to him, the siren’s claws snapping shut around it before he could even see it.

“I was digging through his things and that gave me an idea.” Bill explained before he looked down at the leather taking the needle and thread back into his other hand, tightening the last stitch he had done.

Dipper opened his claws to look at the trinket in his palms. It was a thin strip of leather that had probably once been used to lace a boot and dangling from it was a battered piece of slightly rusted metal with the name ‘Logan’ engraved on it.

<>

Logan was wide awake before Bill and Dipper came down to the cages. The nekomata squinted against the light of the lantern as they approached though he otherwise tried to maintain composed. Bill hung the lantern up from a hook in the ceiling as he came to stand in front of Logan’s cage. 

“Have ya decided what you’re going to do with me?” Logan asked as he stood finding in his natural form he was no taller than the captain where his human form had been a good several inches higher. He watched intently as Bill pulled a key out of his shirt pocket and his ears twitched at the click of the cage door being unlocked.

“Yes I have. Dipper I’m going to need you on the other side of him.” Dipper was quick to follow the order, mindful of the magically charged bars as he slipped into the cage ahead of Bill.

“Ya don’t need to bring in your parrot if you’re gonna put me down.” Logan grumbled and crossed his arms over his thick chest.

“I have no intention of killing you, I just need his help.” Bill assured him before reaching into the pocket of his coat to pull out the leather he had been working on last night. Logan’s ears went back as Bill held it between his hands for him to see, it was covered in professionally stitched sigils that the nekomata didn’t recognize and it was fitted with a silver clasp.

Logan clenched his teeth and tilted his chin back, he wasn’t sure what the captain was getting at but he considered himself raised better then to argue. He could feel Bill’s cold fingers brush against his fur as the collar was wrapped around his throat. Once the clasp was in place Logan lowered his head and Bill slipping off his belt was the last thing he saw before his vision went white.

<>

He could see colors and vague shapes all coming together to create blurry paintings of past events. The one thing that came through clearly was the words he hadn’t heard with his actual ears in decades.

 

_“Loyalty and obedience is the only thing separates us from those wild mongrels… well, it’s the only thing that separates you.”_

 

_“Where’s your sister, what did you do!”_

 

_“How many times do I have to reject you before you get it through your thick skull?”_

 

_“What are ya doing down here little fella, thought you’d left with the other cats.”_

 

_“Logan, yeah, Logan’s a fine name.”_

 

_“I can’t believe this, I’m this close to naming ya first mate my boy.”_

 

_“What’s wrong with him?”_   
_“I don’t know anything about animals captain but it looks like he’s havin’ some kind of fit.”_

 

_“Don’t worry boy, you’ll pull through this.”_

 

_“Logan, what are you?”_   
_“I’m… I’m not sure sir.”_   
_“Well, you’re still my boy right?”_

 

_“I’m not mad at ya my boy, I just got scared, that was too close for my liking.”_

 

_“Don’t close your eyes, you won’t wake up if you do.”_   
_“Shhh, it’ll be fine my boy, you take care of old Jacqueline for me.”_   
_“Of course Captain.”_

<>

Logan’s eyes fluttered open and his doubled vision slide together as they focused on the two faces above him. His mouth felt dry and when he went to lips his lips did he realize there was something hard in his mouth. The nekomata turned on his side and spat out the belt he had been clenching between his teeth, there were a few extra holes in it now.

“Logan, you all there?” Bill asked and Logan flinched as the sound of his voice caused his head to throb.

“Yeah.” He wheezed, he couldn’t remember the last time he felt this sore. His tail twitched and he bristled, that didn’t feel right. Logan looked down and saw that the tip of his tail was no longer split instead rounding out at the end like a thin club. He reached up to touch the collar and found he couldn’t slip his claws between the leather and his throat. “What's this?”

“A compromise, you don’t want to leave the ship and half of the crew is scared of you so this collar will suppress your magic.” Bill explained placing a hand on the nekomata’s shoulder while being mindful of his wound. Logan’s ears went flat against his scalp as he looked at his captain, amber eyes studying him carefully before his ears lifted again.

“I didn’t use it that much in the first place.” Logan shrugged and he looked over at the siren, sneering when he saw the pity in Dipper’s eyes. “What’s that look for?”

“Sorry, I just hate seeing that on you.” Dipper responded seeing the collar as nothing more than a portable cage. The rope and shackles that had been bestowed upon him by Bill were not the first restraints Dipper had experienced and he had done his share of rescuing other sirens from loose fishing nets. 

“I suppose it’s a good thing you aren’t wearing it then.” Logan scoffed but took the other’s hand when it was offered to him, the siren pulling him to his feet. “It’s just a collar.”

Honestly, if the nekomata really wanted to take off the collar he could rub his throat against something until some of the threads broke. He glanced Dipper over before he looked back at Bill, a paw coming up to run along the collar to feel the stitching.

“Does the rest of the crew know about this?” Logan asked squaring his shoulders despite the pain that caused to flare up.

“No, having your magic suppressed isn’t the prettiest sight and I thought you’d like to get that over with before you had to face them.” The captain replied as he left the cage. He retrieved the lantern from the hook. “Do you want to get liquored up first?”

Bill smirked when he heard Logan give a huff of a laugh that he tried to hide as a cough.

“No thanks, ya know liquor makes me sick.” The nekomata followed behind the human, his fur bristled when he felt Dipper fall in step behind him and he wished he had eyes in the back of his head.

Bill easily ignored the murmurs he heard from the waking crew as the three made their way to the deck. As he hit the top step the cabin boy tried to rush past him only to be brought to a halt by the captain’s hand on his shoulder. The young man yelped as he turned his wide brown eyes up at the taller man.

“I want everyone awake and on deck in ten minutes.” He ordered and the younger gave a stiff nod before Bill released him. The cabin boy bolted down the steps not wanting to be anywhere near the mythical creatures that were following his captain.

“Pigeon, could you go get two blades from my cabinet.” It wasn’t a request and Dipper didn’t argue, Logan shouldn’t be left alone until the crew knew he was going to stay. Bill pulled the cabinet key from his sleeve and handed to the siren.

Dipper moved to the captain’s cabin swiftly, fumbling with the key in his claws before he slid it into the cabinet’s lock. He swung the cabinet doors open and swallowed as he looked the varies weapons over, he didn’t know anything about swords. He reached out with a hesitant hand that hovered for a moment before grabbing a pair of sheaths that contained long, thin blades.

When he returned the crew was standing before Bill and Dipper could feel the weight in the air. Glares where shot between the pirates as they waited to hear what Bill planned to do with Logan some looked like they were just barely containing their tongues, the fiery words shared yesterday hadn’t been forgotten.

“Thank you, you don’t have to stay out here for this.” Bill told Dipper when the siren handed him the rapiers. 

“No I want to see how this goes.” Bill gave a small nod and Dipper took a few steps back to watch everything unfold. The siren watched as Bill squared himself up to address his crew, he was hardly the tallest man on the ship but Dipper found himself admiring the author he held himself with.

“I have reached my decision regarding Logan,” He paused as a murmur passed through his crew. “He will be allowed to stay, his service has earned him that mercy-“

“That better be ‘cause you’re selling him off at the next port Cipher!” A man with dark brown hair growled. Bill’s eyes narrowed at the man and his grip on the rapiers tightened.

“If you hadn’t interrupted you’d know that that is nowhere near my intentions, he’s gonna stay and he’s gonna stay as part of this crew.” Bill snapped at him, his jaw clenching when the man scoffed.

“That’s ridiculous, look at him!” The man shot back gesturing to Logan and the feline stiffened, his hackles standing on end.

“Are you challenging my decision?”

“Damn right I am.”

Bill grabbed one of the sheathed rapiers and tossed it, the man catching it easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates last week but everything should be returning to normal now!  
> And just a quick note, I'm Viperscreeed over at Tumblr if you every want to contact me there!
> 
> Fun Logan Fact: He's roughly sixty years old, he stopped keeping track after awhile!


	19. The Predator in me Sees the Predator in You

Dipper’s eyes widened as he watched Bill and the man unsheathed their blades letting the sheaths drop to the floor. The captain stood tall with his shoulders eased back as he waited on his opponent to get a proper hold on his weapon. He had shed his coat and hat tossing them into a nearby heap. Bill rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, the back of his arms were riddled with scars and Dipper’s keen eyes quickly examined each one as they were revealed. The siren was surprised at how many of them that he was sure he could guess what beast put them there.

Dipper was startled out of his study by the clash of metal. The sun flashed off the blades as they clashed momentarily blinding the siren. He rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times to right his vision when he looked back up Bill was in the full throws of conflict. The blond of his hair was windswept and his eyes narrowed as he fought back the larger pirate’s advances. Bill clenched his teeth as the other’s blade struck his again, the man was swinging the rapier heavily as if it were the boarding axe he was used to.

The man brought his blade down and Bill pushed back against it causing him to take a step back. The captain thrust his blade forward and the tip just brushed the man’s chest before he could stumble back out of its range.

A shortness came to Dipper’s breath as he saw a familiar sharpness in Bill’s eyes. The captain stepped forward swiftly, his bots clicking loudly against the deck as he thrust his sword forward once more. The sharp tip of the rapier slid into the other’s knuckle guard, one edge of his blade shrieked against the guard while the other sliced between the man’s knuckles. Bill threw the other’s rapier with a swipe of his blade and it clattered loudly to the deck. The man growled as he clasped his bleeding hand to his chest and glowered down at his captain.

Bill stepped back, relaxed and with his rapier pointed toward the floor. He faced his crew with a sharp edged grin waiting for anyone else to object. Dipper was so caught up in watching the other he didn’t notice the man trying to inch toward his fallen rapier unnoticed.

“Cipher.” Logan barked and that sharpness that made the siren’s chest tighten returned to the captain’s eyes with a vengeance as he slammed his blade into the man’s boot. The man fell to his knee and choked back a whine.

“Oh Daryl, you know I hate cheaters.” Bill chuckled lowly and with a jerk pulled his blade from the other man’s foot. He strolled over to the other rapier and with the tip of his blade tossed it into the air to catch it. “You know I’m starting to think that I should just hire monsters when I need new crew, they’re proving to be more trustworthy, certainly more loyal.”

Logan straightened proudly when he heard that. The members of the crew who had only recently joined grumbled at the statement while those who had been there for many years and were used to Bill didn’t take any offence.

“Now if there are no further objections, I’d like us to return to our usual routine.” Bill said and waited for a moment, if anyone else wanted to challenge his decision this was there chance. When no one stepped forward he turned away from them and walked over to Logan. “I’m sure if anyone gives you any trouble you can handle them?”

“Of course sir.” The nekomata nodded. He could see the crew disbanding and he was itching to return to them even if half of them were wary of him now. Bill dismissed him and the old feline made a b-line for three other older gentlemen who were waiting for him. One of the men reached up and teasingly pulled Logan’s tufted ear, earning his wrist a swift smack that he laughed at. Another held out Logan’s necklace which he took happily and slipped it over his head, the thread and teeth fell right below his collar. His third companion reached out to inspect the sigils on his collar and Logan tilted his head allowing the man to see them more clearly.

Dipper watched them for longer then was probably acceptable finally looking away when he felt his claws itch. How long had it been since he had a proper preening session with someone?

He looked at his dark blue feathers, they looked perfectly fine and he had been keeping them clean, something he had been terrible at when he was younger but that wasn’t the point. It struck him how much he missed sitting with someone by the shore, examining one another for loose feathers and talking about nothing important.

The siren spotted the sword sheaths sitting on the floor, he swept them up and looked around. Bill was already gone as were his coat and hat. Dipper didn’t have to think long before he guessed where the pirate had disappeared to and he headed for the captain’s cabin.

Bill was sitting in his chair, he ran a cloth along the length of the rapier he had been using cleaning the bit of blood from it. The other rapier was on his desk, his coat and hat hanging off the back of his chair. The captain looked up from his blade when he heard the sheaths being placed on his desk.

“You forgot these.” Dipper said surprised at how soft he voice sounded. Bill didn’t say anything and merely nodded his thanks before he continued to clean his rapier.

That itch hadn’t left Dipper’s claws and he watched Bill’s face as he circled around the man. He reached out and ran the tips of his claws through Bill’s hair, chuckling under his breath at how the man jumped.

“What are you doing?” Bill asked turning his head a little so he could look back at the other.

“Just preening you some, your hair is a mess.” Dipper replied as a claw caught on a knot. He carefully worked the knot out not wanting to tug the other’s hair. “Do you want me to stop?”

“No, it feels nice.” Bill mumbled leaning back in his chair, the rapier resting limply in his lap. His eyes fluttered shut, humming softly while the siren’s claws raked through his blond locks. He was surprised at how gentle the siren could be, claws not so much as scuffing him when they touched his scalp. Bill cracked open his good eye when a shadow was cast over his face.

He glanced over to see that what little light was reaching him was being filtered through blue feathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not everyone is too happy about it but Logan is safe for the time being!
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Dipper's living situation, with a giant flock of gulls, is very unusual for his species! Greater Sea Eagles usually live in small to moderately sized family groups led by a breeding pair or triad with the lower ranking members mostly being their offspring who haven't flown off on their own yet!


	20. And I See A Whole Lot More

Dipper watched his claws glide through blond locks like sickles brushing through wheat.  He couldn’t feel much through his fingers but he could sense the other’s warmth through his scales. His eyes studied the other, the captain’s skin looked so soft and under usual circumstances that would have made the siren’s mouth water but now it just drew him closer. His eyes drifted down to Bill’s exposed forearms and his chest swelled with something that felt like pride as he saw all the crisscrossing scars, impressed with the other’s strength.

Dipper’s fingers stilled, what time of year was it? The flocks from the north were on their way when he had been captured. The siren’s internal clock needed a moment to calibrate itself since it had grown used to the environmental signals of the cliff side. He had belonged to the north once and his body quickly recalled the migrations.

He swallowed thickly, they were well into winter not that many could tell this far south. The season where families reunited, youngsters were most likely to elope and a majority of eggs were conceived. He noticed his wings were lazily curved around the captain’s chair, color bloomed on his face and he tried to subtly retract them.

“Something wrong?” Dipper jumped when Bill turned to look at him. He pulled his fingers back from they had been sitting motionless in the other’s hair, he turned his eyes away from the captain reaching up to rub his neck.

“Nothing, just got lost in thought.”

<> 

Dipper looked at himself in the small mirror he had found on Bill’s bookshelf. The feathers around his ears looked sharper, longer and the roots of his feathers were beginning to fade from their usual navy blue to a brighter, more vibrant blue. It would take about a week for the feathers to fully change color and they would stay that way until a few weeks before spring. He set the mirror down and looked closely at his feathers, he wondered momentarily if the tips would turn white this year.

He noticed the lack of anxiety that he usually felt before the courtship season. He supposed the reason was that there wasn’t any competition as he was the only siren on the ship or maybe it was because he knew who he wanted to impress.

But the real question was how was he going to do that. The only mates he had ever had were from different siren species so he no stranger to different courtship tactics but a mammal was literally a totally different animal. He let out a sigh and ran a hand though his hair.

He had a few days before his plumage came in which should be more than enough time to figure things out. Dipper took a deep breath and straightened up, he knew exactly who he wanted to go to but he didn’t want to be obvious.

After a quick pep talk to himself he left the captain’s cabin and walked with purpose up the stairs to the helm. His confidence faltered however when he saw a man he didn’t know the name of behind the wheel however and he backed down the stairs. The siren quickly glanced around the deck in search of Amalia. The woman was nowhere in sight so he fluttered over to the steps that led down below in hope that she wasn’t asleep.

As he started down into the dimly lit hull he collided with a smaller yet more solid body. He stumbled back a step and when he looked down to see who he had run into he was met by narrowed amber eyes.

“Oh sorry Logan, didn’t see you there.” Dipper apologized quickly. The other’s gaze was searing and it made his feathers stand on end but the siren met the nekomata’s gaze evenly. “Something I can help you with?”

“I’m trying to decide what I want to do.” Logan responded the tip of his tail flicking back and forth. Dipper’s wings tensed from his back and he bristled.

“Look, I don’t want to-“ Dipper started and he lifted a hand to gesture as he spoke. He stopped talking abruptly when Logan grabbed his hand and moved it in a firm, downward motion.

“You get the deck, I get the hull with the obvious exceptions?” Dipper stared at the feline in confused silence for a second as he processed what the other had asked him. His eyes widened with realization and he visibly relaxed, a smile crossing his face.

“Yeah that sounds great, I was looking for Amalia is she down there?” Logan pulled back his hand when the siren agreed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Aye, she’s getting something to eat.” Logan responded and stepped aside so Dipper could pass. Dipper nodded his thanks and moved down the steps quickly.

Dipper’s talons clicked against the floor as he hit the floor and he glanced around for the navigator. A cough caught him off guard and he whirled around, a few of his feathers out of place. He sighed with relief when he saw Amalia siting on a crate, a plate with bread and dried meat balancing on her knee.

“You need something?” She asked brushing crumbs off her fingers.

“I wanted to ask you some things.” Dipper replied and took a few steps closer. Amalia leaned back on her seat, resting her back against the wall.

“Shoot.” Amalia allowed and picked up her preserved pork to take a bite of it.

“Well I was just curious, what is… human courtship like?” He inquired placing his hands on his hips to keep from nervously rubbing his neck. It became a difficult thing to suppress when one of Amalia’s brows rose slowly making the skin on his neck prickle.

“Dip, just be yourself, Bill thinks humans are boring.” The navigator advised and smirked when Dipper sputtered.

“I just wanted to know the difference between humans and sirens.” Dipper defended himself. His cheeks turned red when she laughed.

“Sure ya are.” She snickered and stood up, setting her food on the barrel. “I do got a tip for ya.”

Dipper stiffened a bit as she slapped her hands onto his shoulders, a wide grin on her face.

“He likes ‘em bold.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Amalia's excited cause if Dipper initiates this then Garret owes her more money!
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: Greater Sea Eagles molt after the courtship season and generally use their shiny courtship feathers to line their nests!


	21. Siren Pickup-line

The moon was full and heavy in the sky, so close that one might try to reach out and touch it. That feeling was as strong as it could be in Dipper as he sat in the ship’s crow nest and his eyes weren’t the only things reflecting the light. His courtship feathers were in full display now, moonlight glistened off them as easily as water would and many of the feathers now had silvery white tips.

The glow left Dipper’s eyes when he looked down at the small sack that was sitting in his lap. He had called back on all the different suiters he had observed over the years and had spent the week perfecting a few of them. He was going to pull out all the stops and thankfully the jungle had been more the generous with materials.

If Bill liked bold then he’d give him bold.

<> 

The captain was sitting at his desk and turned to make a comment to Dipper only to stop mid-action when he realized the other wasn’t there. He mumbled softly as he returned to the paper lying before him.

Bill had noticed the siren acting strangely but he didn’t seem unhappy so the pirate had voted not to worry about it but these late nights were leaving him a little lonely. He sighed softly as he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He listened to the creak of the ship letting it lull him though not nearly to sleep. His brow furrowed as he realized something.

It was far too quiet.

His crew might not be the most talkative at times but there should at least be the sound of them moving about. Bill opened his eyes and sat up straight with his hearing strained listening for anything at all. He got up slowly intent on not making any noise himself and sneaked his way over to his cabinet. He flinched as he unlocked it, the sound being much louder then he would have liked. He reached in and pulled out a long blade. He left the cabinet open as he sneaked over to the door.

Bill glanced through the little window and saw that all the lanterns had been snuffed out leaving only the moon to light up the deck. He narrowed his gaze as he waited for anything to move into his line of sight to prove to him that nothing was wrong.

He nearly stepped away from the door when he heard the flap of wings overhead. The thought that it was Dipper crossed his mind but he couldn’t come up with a reason for why the siren out there when his crew wasn’t.  He pushed open the door once his eyes adjusted to the darkness and peered up where he had heard the sound but he couldn’t see anything. He stepped out, glancing around when he was startled by the sound of wings once again.

He whirled around just in time to see something disappear over the edge of the ship. He went to race over to the railing when he saw part of it breach over the other side. Bill turned around in a circle trying to spot where the creature would come up next. There was a splash and he ran across the deck toward the bow of the ship to look down at the water.

He stiffened when heard a thump against wood behind him. Bill slowly turned around his gaze was drawn upward toward the fore sail.

With the moon shining behind the sail a shadow of a winged figure was cast through the thick fabric. The only part of the person that was visible were the talon wielding feet standing on the yard. Bill watched as the figure leisurely strolled along the wooden beam until Dipper’s face peered at him smugly from behind the sail.

The tension melted out of Bill’s body and his shoulders slacked. He slid the blade into his belt as a momentary sheath.

“The hell Pigeon?” The captain sighed, placing a hand to rest on the blade’s hilt.

“I thought you liked the hunt.” Dipper chuckled and stepped out from behind the sail, his chest swelled with pride at the face Bill made when he saw the siren’s feathers. Bill had of course noticed that Dipper was turning colors but the candlelight in his cabin didn’t do them justice. They threw off moonlight like silver coins and flower petals had been carefully weaved between feathers, a few falling out as he dropped down to the deck. As he got closer Bill could see that Dipper had dusted some kind of blue powder on his skin, the particles gathering in the divots of his collarbone.

“So, what are you all painted up for?” Bill asked hoping his voice didn’t give away how dry his throat felt.

“I… wanted to ask you to dance.” The siren requested and offered the other his hand. Bill’s breath hitched as he recalled their tipsy night at the river bank and what Dipper had told him about sirens and dancing.

“I-I accept.” The captain internally cursed himself for his stutter, he was a grown man dammit not some schoolboy but he couldn’t remember the last time he had been approached like this. He slid his hand into Dipper’s watching the other’s claws carefully close around it.

He looked back up at the siren when he heard him begin to hum and his chest warmed at the shine in Dipper’s eyes. Dipper led him out into a more open part of the deck to dance and reached out to take his other hand.

_“I promise you nothing, I take only that which is free_

_Don't try to bind me, just love me without any greed_

_And I'll give you the world, and my heart, and the air that I breathe.”_

Bill tried to keep in step but found himself lagging behind too drawn into the siren’s voice and the shinning wings that Dipper never let fold close. The siren kept his wings open to catch and flick off light as they moved. Dipper suddenly turned him around and drew him close, their arms crossed over his chest. The captain couldn’t resist leaning into Dipper, he nipped his lower lip as he felt the siren’s breath coast against his skin.

_“Slip the jesses, my love_

_This hunter you own from the hood to the glove_

_When the circling and striking are done, and I land,_

_Let me come back to your hand, let me come back to your hand.”_

Dipper’s claws unlaced themselves from Bill’s and slide down his forearms to pause at his elbows. In a quick, fluid motion Dipper scooped the other into his arms and before Bill could protest he opened his wings and took off into the air. Bill yelped and threw his arms around the other’s neck to make himself feel more balanced. Dipper landed on the top yard of the main mast and he carefully let the captain down beside him, keeping one hand on him out of fear for his balance.

Bill wasn’t scared of the height, he had climbed these plenty of times but he was thankful for the other being there to help him stay grounded. The moon glinted off his golden eye as he looked up at the siren, the other’s skin bathed in the bright moonlight and the captain’s lungs failed to draw in breath.

_“Slip the jesses, my love_

_This hunter you own from the hood to the glove.”_

Dipper lifted Bill’s hand to press a kiss to his knuckles and one thing became very clear to the pirate.

He couldn’t sell this one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Don't worry about the crew, they're sleeping like babies.
> 
> This chapters song is 'Hunter' by Heather Dale  
> Considerations go to 'Big Spender' by Shirley Bassey and 'Stand Out' from the Goofy Movie 
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: This first part of the courtship is called 'The Announcement' and back at his flock Dipper would be trying to perform this alongside multiple competing suitors in what would be akin to an out of control debutante ball. Courtship following this event usually takes on a more personal flair as sirens pair off and try to prove their 'bonding worth'.


	22. Flowers and Dinner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Quick note there is a dead animal and some blood this chapter!

The sun was breaching the horizon when Dipper finally let Bill go and helped the tired captain return to his cabin. The siren didn't follow him inside in however insisting he still had some things to do so Bill merely thanked him for the evening too sleepy to question it in the moment. He could hear the flap of feathers over his yawn when he closed the door. He rubbed moisture from his good eye with the base of his palm, a soft smile making itself at home on his face.

The pirate leisurely made his way over to his bed, all too aware of the heat rising in his cheeks and the giddy feeling in his bones as he thought about the night's events. Bill fell into his hammock and despite having the complete intention of daydreaming drifted to sleep.

<> 

Bill didn't open his eyes when he regained consciousness instead he tried to will himself back to sleep and turned his face into something soft. It wasn't until he took a deep breath through his nose and nearly inhaled something small that he bolted upright. He looked down at himself wide-eyed to see he was covered in hundreds of tiny, white blossoms.

He sniffed, rubbing his nose with the back of his wrist and picked one of the flowers up to turn it over between his fingers. The flowers were simple, four or five oblong petals framed a yellow center but it was the sheer amount of them that had the captain befuddled. They spilled out onto the floor as he stood out of his hammock, pooling around his feet.

He brushed the flowers from his person and pulled on his boots he had left beneath the hammock. Bill glanced around his cabin and his eyes widened as he became aware of just how much flora was decorating his room. Flowers of shapes and sizes were stuck in every available nook or cranny. On his desk herbs bound together with bits of thread were laid out, a few of which Bill didn't recognize.

Bill grabbed his coat and slid it on as he headed out the door. The first sight he was greeted by was Amalia and a man peering at him. The navigator smirked and held out a hand to the man beside her who sighed before dropping a small coin purse into her palm.

The captain walked straight to her and her companion scuttled off before he could get into any kind of trouble. Amalia on the other hand could only grin as she pocketed the purse.

"What do you know about that?" Bill jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of his cabin.

"The flowers, your birdie was just showing ya some love." She reached up and flicked a stray blossom from Bill's hair. It had been quite a show watching Dipper sneak armfuls of flowers and plants into Bill's cabin all morning. "And if ya two could stretch this out it'd be greatly appreciated."

"Your making bets on all this?" Bill asked and Amalia let out a bark of laughter.

"Ya can't call this betting at this point, their basically throwing their money at me." She chuckled. The navigator had been cleaning house and couldn't wait to return to shore to spend her winnings.

"Well you'll probably be interested in what I have to tell you then." He continued and she leaned her elbows back against the railing.

"Oh do tell." Perhaps it was cheating to be friends with the subject of a bet but Amalia was a pirate and since when did they care about rules.

"I'm not selling the siren and he'll be free to stay if he wants." Bill informed her and snorted when she cracked a grin. "How much money did I just make you?"

"I'm gonna be able to buy my own ship at this rate." She replied and made a mental note to get a larger coin purse when she got to port.

"How do you think its gonna go over with everyone." Bill inquired and was not comforted with her reaction. Amalia let out a low whistle and made a teetering motion with her hand.

"Daryl's not going to like it especially after you stabbed him but," She dragged the last word out. "Fuck Daryl."

Bill couldn't suppress the laugh that bubbled out of his throat. After everything that had happened Daryl would probably abandon ship at the next port and if he didn't Bill might consider leaving him behind.

"Where is Pigeon anyway?" Bill asked looking around and not seeing him anywhere on deck.

"I saw him and Logan going down below with some kind of corpse." She vaguely pointed in toward the stairs.

"Well that sounds ominous." He gave her a small wave as he walked toward the steps. She returned the wave before pulling the coin purse out of her pocket to count the coppers and silvers inside.

Bill walked down below, nodding to a few men as they passed each other. A clatter from across the ship and he saw the door to the butcher room was open a crack. The voices from within got clearer as he approached it.

"Lord help me, if you drop it again I'm taking it from you.' The captain heard Logan hiss.

"Sorry, it hard to hold this with my claws." Dipper's apology followed.

Bill's brow furrowed and he pushed the door open. He made eye contact with the dull, glassy gaze of a dead water buffalo calf. Its hind hooves were strung up with rope with its upper half laying on the table. On either side of the corpse was Dipper and Logan, the siren held a knife in his hand and was trying to precisely separate the calf's hide and flesh. Dipper quickly looked up and the knife slipped out of his grasp to bounce off the calf then onto the table. The suddenly flustered siren reached for it but before he could grab it Logan leaned across the table to snatch it.

"G-good morning." Dipper stammered and ran a hand through his hair, flinching when he realized his hand was covered in blood. Compared to last night the siren was a mess, his feathers were disheveled and his talons were covered in drying blood with bits of fur stuff to them. Dipper was struck with the self-conscious need to preen out in the sun since he was damp from the heel down.

"Good morning." Bill returned the greeting and took the few steps to stand beside the table. He could see the siren in the corner of his eye waiting for his approval on the catch.

The calf was fat and its coat sleek though damaged along the neck and shoulders, presumably caused by Dipper. The tongue sticking out of its mouth was bright pink and so were the bits of gums Bill could see. One of the front legs was twisted unnaturally but it looked like an old injury.

"T-there was a cow but she would have been too large to carry on my own." Dipper started to ramble when Bill didn't respond quickly enough.

"It's a great catch Pigeon." Bill smiled and placed a hand on the siren's shoulder. Dipper grinned and his chest puffed up with pride. "But you need a bath before you track in anymore blood, we can handle it from here."

Dipper deflated and he laughed awkwardly.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you." He said and paused beside Bill on his way to the door. He leaned down hesitantly and stilled for a beat before giving the captain's cheek a quick nuzzle then escaping out the door.

Bill giggled and reached up to touch his cheek as he looked over his shoulder to watch Dipper disappear. He turned back to see Logan sneering at the display of affection.

"Don't give me that look, hand me a knife." Bill ordered and Logan's ears went flat against his head.

"Oh no, he nearly chopped his fingers off I don't need ya swooning all over the table." Logan snapped clutching the knife closer to his chest, his tail lashing side to side. Bill raised his hands in a sign of peace.

"Okay, okay it's all yours." Bill backed away from the table. He turned away and could hear the feline huff before the telltale sound of a blade slicing through skin.

When he reached the deck he quickly found Dipper perched on the ship's railing, straightening his feathers. Bill was about to order the cabin boy to fetch a bucket when the siren glided off the edge of the ship. The captain ran to the railing and leaned over it.

Dipper landed in waist deep water with a splash and quickly dipped beneath the surface. There was an explosion of water as Dipper ruffled his wings to clear excess oil from his feathers. After a few seconds he was upright again pushing his wet hair back and he shuddered causing thousands of little water droplets to go flying.

"I think we should celebrate." Bill was startled out of his observation by Amalia's voice. "Besides it's gotten kinda tense downstairs."

"And what do you suggest we do?" The captain asked hoping the heat he felt in his face wasn't visible.

"Nymph hunt."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Listen if AM (of 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream' fame) isn't above giggling then Bill certainly isn't.
> 
> And goodness Amalia, this is gonna end just like that time with the satyrs!
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: Dipper hasn't had much practice but his species of siren build platform nests and they usually build a few that they'll rotate between throughout the year. On average these nests are twice as big as a Bald Eagle's and their have been a few reports of these nests toppling the trees they were built in.


	23. A Hunting We Will Go

“So what are we doing?” Dipper asked tilting his head as he watched a few men drop the anchor.

“A nymph hunt.” Bill answered hands proudly on his hips.

“A nymph hunt?” The siren inquired raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“Well we know we aren’t going to catch one but it’s still fun, good for comradery and all that.” Bill chuckled, he and his crew had gone on these hunts plenty of times and had never once come close to actually catching one but he supposed they were considered minor deities for a reason.

“You’re really looking to get yourself cursed aren’t you?” Dipper laughed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I already have a few I didn’t know about.” Honestly the pirate’s harassment of the wildlife had already resulted in three curses that had been a pain to remove.

“Cap’n we’re almost ready to go!” A man called to Bill before Dipper could tease him, two more men behind him were preparing to drop a gangplank. The captain called back his approval before he was taken off guard by suddenly being swept off his feet. He slung an arm around the grinning siren’s neck to steady himself as he was carried across deck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Bill hissed under his breath doing everything in his power to not lot at his crew to see what their reactions were.

“Trust me this’ll be a lot faster.” The siren teasingly whispered back as he stepped up onto the railing. Bill looked down over the edge of the ship dubiously and his arm tightened on Dipper. The siren opened his wings and coasted down to the small, sandy bank they stopped the ship at. He carefully set the pirate down on his feet trying not to look too proud as it took another thirty seconds for the crew to drop the gangplank.

“Give me a warning next time.” Bill chided the unfazed siren. He turned to his crew who were making their way down the plank and held out a hand. “Drop me a gun.”

A crossbow-like device was dropped into the captain’s grasp, the device was loaded with a carefully bundled net attached to four heavy, metal spheres. Dipper looked at the gun curiously and had the overwhelming suspicion that one of these had been used on him when he first arrived at the ship.

“Do you see a pond anywhere?” Bill asked Dipper hoping he could spot something with his superior sight. Dipper narrowed his eyes as he gazed through the trees and after a few moments took off into the air to look over the canopy. He dropped down almost as quickly as he had taken off.

“There are a cluster of clearings that way.” Dipper instructed pointing to the northwest. He had spotted several openings in the trees when he had flown up and hopefully one of those would be a pond inhabited by nymphs.

Bill nodded before instructing his crew on the way to go and the started into the trees, moving as quietly as they could. Nymphs were incredibly skittish and they didn’t want to scare them before they could at least see them.

<> 

The group trudged through the jungle toward the third clearing that would hopefully contain the pond they were looking for. The first clearing had been created by a large, toppled tree and the second was the result of a nasty mistletoe infestation. Dipper suppressed a yawn; he couldn’t believe humans caught anything on their own with how slow the crew was moving.

Bill stopped, a wicked grin spreading over his face and lifted a hand that brought the crew to a halt. Dipper perked up and gazed around; now that he was paying attention he quickly picked up on a sound in the distance.

A giggle.

Dipper turned to the pirate and watched him direct his crew with only his hand. Bill’s men split into two groups to flank the pond up ahead. Bill smiled at the siren before gesturing for him to follow as he continued straight on.

Bill held the net gun tight in his hands as he moved through the thick jungle brush. The siren was caught off guard by how fleet footed the captain was, leaving Dipper in the dust. Dipper, being a creature of the sky, wasn’t built to be the best runner and had to suppress the urge to fly as that would easily startle the nymphs.

He bit back a sigh of relief when Bill slowed to a trot as the pond came into view. Out of all the clearings he had spotted this one had been the largest, a wide boulder sat at the back of the clearing with a deep pool of water swelling out in front of it. Much of the ground that lay between the water’s edge and the tree line was trampled down but prints that were hard to identify but certainly didn’t belong to the nymphs.

Speaking of the nymphs neither the siren nor the pirate had seen so many in one place. There had to be at least twenty in and around the water. Green skinned flora nymphs sat around the edge weaving together flower crowns that they passed down to the seal colored water nymphs in the pond who in turn handed them spectacular stones from the caves beneath the surface. The flora nymphs tied the stones with plant fiber strings to make jewelry.

Bill aimed his net at a nymph as she stood and stretched her arms above her head. There was a loud twang as he shot the gun and the nymph turned toward the sound with a soft gasp. The moment her giant, fuchsia eyes spotted the ropes flying at her she sprouted into a small tree. The net collided with her branches and her thin trunk to bow before quivering back upright.

There were squeaks of fear from the other nymphs as more nets went flying. The water nymphs escaped easily diving beneath the surface and either melting into the pond water or shooting down into the subterranean caves. The flora nymphs each popped in an explosion of petals that were carried on the wind including those who had turned into trees to protect themselves from the nets letting the ropes and meal balls thump to the ground.

Bill reached up as a flow of petals passed over his head, grinning at the feeling of magic speeding between his fingers. He looked over at Dipper in time to catch the siren’s doubtful look he was giving him.

“What?” The captain asked drawing his hand back down.

“I’ll take you on a real hunt sometime.” Dipper responded trying not to preen at the idea of showing off his hunting skills.

Bill snorted and grabbed Dipper’s wrist to lift it into the next stream of petals. It was that grip that kept Dipper from yanking his hand back when he felt a buzzing sensation run down his fingers. A petal caught on his claw and the shock made his finger twitch. The petals passed quickly leaving Dipper with the oddest feeling like he had just pulled his hand out of a pile of snow. The captain finally let go of Dipper’s hand and the siren looked down at his fingers, flexing them.

He looked up to see Amalia and few men already at the water’s edge retrieving their nets and inspecting the jewelry the nymphs had dropped usually leaving them for the nymphs to retrieve. One man was sitting by the edge, his boots to one side and he was rolling up his pant legs. A section of net was floating on the ponds surface and behind the man stood two others hushedly talking to one another.

The waded out into the water and mumbled under his breath about the thick mud. There was a loud splash and a giggle then the man’s boots were gone. He looked around himself frantically before suddenly he gave a shout as he was knocked over into the water. One of his friends on the shore cheered and the other dug a few copper coins from his pocket, tossing them at his overjoyed friend.

“Water nymphs have a great sense of humor.” Bill chuckled as he strolled into the clearing. Thankfully they were also very forgiving preferring to play tricks then throw out curses.

“Never would have guessed, the ones in the ocean are even more jumpy.” Dipper responded following behind him.

“You know, I think I’ve only seen them mingle with one other kind of monster.” Bill began but a thunder clap of boisterous caught the group’s attention.

The thick vegetation opened and a body came flying out of the brush landing flat on its back. The creature sat up with a groan, their large ears were lopsided as they rubbed the back of their head. They pulled themselves to their hooves and brushed off their thickly furred legs.

“Worry not lasses I am uninjured…” The satyr turned on their heel and lost their voice when they spotted all the pirates in the clearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's day everyone! Hugs and smooches for all my lovely readers!
> 
> Fun Human Fact: Humans, like sirens, are not inherently magical and though there are ways for them to gain magical abilities they have the lowest rate of magic compatibility. Many of the rituals to gain magical abilities require a person to ingest something with high magical potency which if the person is not compatible can be very harmful to their bodies.
> 
> Bill has attempted to gain magical abilities in the past but sadly is not compatible.


	24. Let's Get It Started In Here

The satyr laughed awkwardly and tried to back up into the brush. He was pushed forward when several more satyrs popped out of the foliage and each one experienced the same moment of realization that their friend had. A doe, presumably the oldest as her horns nearly came to a full curl compared to the others whose horns didn’t fully pass their ears, came to stand at the front of her herd. Her rectangular pupils carefully scanned the pirates for a few seconds before reaching back to grab something from one of her herd members.

She turned back around with a wine jug in her hand and held it up. A member of Bill’s crew pulled a dark bottle from their bag and offered it up in the same manner.

“I hope you boys don’t have to be anywhere tomorrow.” The herd queen laughed as she led her herd out into the clearing and a dozen more satyrs came out of the jungle.

“Not anywhere you’re not.” Bill chuckled, a playful smirk on his lips. He strolled across the clearing with his siren and crew in tow. He reached out and shook hands with the herd queen, the two groups were quick to mingle.

“Keep that charm away from my does.” She joked but her face sobered when she looked at Dipper. She squared her shoulders and her ears twitched ever so slightly, the feathers around Dipper’s ears drooped in response.

“I’m courting someone already.” He said and she let out a relieved sigh.

“Praise Pan, we already got one halfblood we don’t know what to do with.” Her shoulders went slack and she took a swig from her jug. She sputtered when a loud bleat was followed by a splash, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glared in the direction of the sound. “I should probably go check on that.”

“What was that about?” Bill inquired looking over at the siren as the satyr walked away.

“Just some territorial… sorting.” Dipper explained. Sirens didn’t prey on satyrs often as they tended to choose fighting when faced with predators, herd queens and bucks especially, so her lack of fear hadn’t surprised him. “She was setting some boundaries that kind of thing.”

“Well now that you’re done doing your weird animal thing let’s try to find some booze.” Bill laughed at the groan he received and smacked him on the shoulder.

As the pair made their way through the crowd Dipper slid an arm around bill’s waist and leaned down to nuzzle the captain’s temple. Bill leaned his shoulder into Dipper’s side and was surprised by how warm the siren was. He gently pressed his knuckles into Dipper’s side and the siren must have been at least ten degrees warmer than he was; well that would certainly be useful on the colder seas.

Bill’s fingers dragged down Dipper’s side as he dropped his hand and jerked away an inch. Alert brown eyes flicked down to the pirate’s hand then back up at his face. Bill’s brow furrowed before a devilish grin spread over his face.

“Are you ticklish?” The pirate asked.

“Absolutely not.” Dipper answered way too quickly to sound confident.

Bill’s fingers shot up to Dipper’s and the siren let out an undignified squawk as he escaped up into the air. He glided over to the edge of the clearing and tried not to pout as Bill approached him chuckling. Bill snatched a dark brown bottle from a member of his crew, pulling the cork out as he came to stand beside Dipper. He took a swig of the drink and his face scrunched up as the strength of the liquor hit his tongue.

“Oh yeah you definitely wouldn’t like this.” Bill sniffed and shoved the cork back into the bottle.

“You don’t have to tell me.”  Dipper grumbled looking at the bottle. The siren had no interest in ever experiencing a hangover again.

Dipper heard a rustling up above and looked up into the tree to a small monkey balancing on a branch. It was working its way across the thin surface toward a pair of round, ripe fruits that were weighing the branch down. The siren tapped a claw against his chin as he studied the monkey.

“I’m going to be right back.” He said after a moment leaving the captain on his own as he walked underneath the branch. He fluttered up to the fruit, flinching at the monkey’s loud shriek as he got too close for its liking. He pulled the two fruits from the branch, making it shiver and held one out to the primate.

The monkey inched closer, sniffing the fruit before snatching it out of his hand. It turned the fruit around in its paws before shoving as much of it into its mouth as it could and it bolted away over the tree branches.

Dipper dropped down to the ground and looked the fruit over. It was deep red, nearly purple, at the roundest part fading into yellow at the pointed end. He couldn’t eat fruit, he had tried to in his youth and the resulting sickness had been enough to keep him from ever doing it again but from what he had gathered humans needed to eat all kinds of things to stay healthy and he was sure Bill was sick of dried fruit.

“We should go for a walk, you know just you and me.” Dipper’s eyes shot up. Bill was leaning comfortably against a tree and a buck from the satyr herd was standing awfully close to him, a hand on the trunk. Bill gave a thoughtful hum as if he was considering the satyr’s offer.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Bill replied, his arms crossed loosely over his chest and a crooked smile on his face.

“Oh and why not?” The buck inquired. He jumped back when a snarling siren came around the tree.

“Because he’s with me.” Dipper growled and his irritation only got worse when a smug grin crossed the satyr’s face.

“The big defender are we?” The satyr teased and poked Dipper in the chest. Dipper puffed up and he quickly closed what little distance was between them to glare down at the smaller creature. He flicked his wings, his feathers snapping back to his shoulder blades before one could blink. Out of his peripheral Dipper could see some other bucks pausing in their activities to watch their herdmate, elbowing their companions to point out the confrontation. He could hear a few mutters of ‘He’s at it again’ which were usually followed by laughs and more eager spectators.

“Don’t make me beat your ass in front of your friends.” Dipper seethed just loud enough for the buck in front of him to hear. The buck opened his mouth to challenge the siren when he caught his best friend out of the corner of his eye. The small, gray buck was vigorously shaking his head and mouthing a plea for the other buck to use his head for something other than butting for once. When he looked back at the siren he was suddenly aware of just how big the other was and just how many scars were etched into his skin.

“Uh, I believe the human saying is ‘let’s put a pin in this’?” The buck chuckled nervously as he stepped back. He bounded over to his friend before he turned back to Dipper to say one last thing. “This isn’t over, the night’s still young.”

Dipper growled under his breath and brought a wing around to rip a feather out of it. He turned and froze as he reached for Bill. The captain watched the siren curiously as the other’s face went hot with embarrassment. Dipper stood up straight forcing his posture to relax.

“Would you like to wear my feather?” He asked offering the shiny, white tipped feather to Bill.

“I don’t see why not.” Bill shrugged and took the feather, tucking it behind his ear. Dipper’s chest swelled at the sight but his shame put a damper of the feeling.

“I’m sorry about all that, I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that.” He apologized casting his eyes to the ground. A snickering made him look back up.

“Are you really apologizing to a pirate for your temper, I was actually looking forward to seeing you fight him.” The captain laughed taking another sip of his drink.

“I can go find him if you really want me to.” Dipper offered pointing in the general direction the buck had run off in.

“No, no there’s always next time but I would like to go for that walk.” Bill took the siren’s fingers in his hand and led him into the brush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So apparently the lead female of a goat herd is called the herd queen, the things you learn writing fanfiction
> 
> Fun Satyr Fact: Satyrs have one of the widest crossbreeding ranges, there have been reports of satyrs successfully crossing with everything from dragons to mermaids!


	25. Something to Say

“So I have a question.” Dipper began as he was towed behind Bill. It was humid beneath the canopy, many of the dark green leaves he was passing had a layer of moisture on them and he could hear the light notes of pan flutes following them from the clearing.

“Go on.” Bill allowed as he looked around at the foliage, they weren’t quite far enough.

“How exactly do you humans choose your mates?” Dipper hadn’t spent much time around humans but on the few occasions he had gotten to watch them the pairings he had seen seemed so random. Bill had to think for a moment, he was an independent adult who made good money and was perfectly happy with his social standing.

“I personally would choose someone for their company.” Bill answered and looked back over his shoulder to smile at the siren. Dipper returned the smile, his cheeks dusted pink.

“That’s all, you humans are really strange.” His grip on the other’s hand tightened finding something reassuring in the captain's answer.

“Well how do sirens choose?” Bill asked, he didn’t see anything strange about his answer.

“Liking their company is part of it but it usually comes down to strength, health, reliability things like that. Eggs don’t provide for themselves you know.” Dipper shrugged. The flock took a huge load off but for the most it still came down to the parents to feed and raise their chicks.

“Have… you ever raised a kid?” Bill paused next to a large stump, the log beside it was rotting and half buried in the earth. He turned to look at the siren, it was weird to think of Dipper might be a father.

“I did a lot of work in the nursery but I haven’t actually raised a chick.” He answered, he hadn’t had the best run with mates. “Have you?”

Bill’s mind went blank, images of every female he had been with flashing rapidly with a few being a lot blurrier then others and most he had never seen again. He glanced toward the clearing were his crew was with the satyrs, they were far enough.

“Moving on, I have something to tell you.” Bill said letting Dipper’s hand go so he could give a dismissive wave as he sat on the stump, setting his bottle down on the ground. He patted the spot beside him, the old dead wood was soft under his touch. The siren tilted his head but sat down without question.

“I’m not going to sell you.” Bill informed the other but didn’t receive the overjoyed reaction he was hoping for.

“I kinda gathered that since you were… reciprocating my advances.” Dipper admitted with a small smile. He laughed softly when the pirate scowled and he leaned over to nuzzle the other’s cheek. “It’s nice to hear you say it though.”

“Wait since you’re courting me does that mean you think I’m strong and reliable?” Bill asked pulling away just far enough that he look at Dipper’s face.

“Yeah, well strong might be pushing it.” The siren joked poking Bill in the arm. Bill gave an offended scoff and swatted the other’s hand away.

“I’ll have you know that I once lifted a golem with my bare hands.” He boasted placing his hand proudly on his chest.

“Those little clay wizard familiars don’t count Bill.” Dipper teased and bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh as the captain glared at him. That resolve shattered however as Bill abruptly stood up from the stump.

“This is over, I have no idea what I saw in you.” He said but before he could walk away Dipper wrapped his arms around Bill’s waist and pulled him back down nearly into his lap. Dipper playfully nuzzled the side of Bill’s neck in a not entirely genuine apology and a dark smirk pulled at the captain’s lips.

Dipper wasn’t entirely sure what happened next, one moment he felt hands tightly grabbing his wrists and the next he’s flat on his back in the grass staring up at the canopy. His view was quickly obscured by a smugly grinning pirate.

“Believe me now?” He asked tilting his head to the side.

“I wasn’t ready.” Dipper groaned his defense. He rolled over onto his claws and talons and shook the grass out of his feathers. His talons sunk into the ground and launched himself at the captain. The two went tumbling over the stump and into a patch of tiny flowers surrounded by soft, green leaves.

In mere moments the siren again found himself on his back. Bill was seated firmly on his abdomen and was pinning Dipper’s hands down in the blossoms. He looked up at the proudly smiling pirate in bewilderment, his chest rising and falling with his breathing.

“Come on Pidgeon, I was expecting more of a fight.” Bill chuckled and Dipper snorted.

“I’m letting you win.” Dipper lied trying to save some face.

“Sure you are.” Dipper’s eyes widened as Bill lowered himself so his chest was almost brushing against the siren’s. Bill’s hands slid up from Dipper’s wrists to intertwine with his fingers and Dipper could feel his heart pounding in his ribcage. Bill drank in the sight of the blushing, flower framed siren beneath him.

“What about my company?” Bill inquired tilting his head.

“I-I love your company.” The siren breathed and Bill’s lips quirked up in an all too pleased smile.

Dipper’s breath hitched as Bill’s lips gently pressed against his and he could taste the whispers of the pirate’s drink. His eyes fell shut and his fingers tightened around the captain’s. Bill pulled out of the chaste kiss and moved to press his lips into the side of Dipper’s throat, lightly nipping at the skin there to draw a deep purr out of the siren.

The pair jolted as a loud bang split the air. Bill sat up and glared in the direction of the clearing where he had left his crew. He looked between Dipper and clearing trying to decide if he should continue his romp with Dipper or make sure his crew hadn’t gotten themselves into any trouble. He sighed and got to his feet pulling Dipper up with him.

“We’ll continue this later.” Bill promised. He caught the disappointed siren off guard by kissing his fingers then pressing them to Dipper’s lips before he started back toward the clearing. Dipper was rooted to the spot for a moment but after a few stunned blinks he was after his captain.

Several more bangs went off as they walked back and each one caused worry to rise in Bill that was until they got close enough to hear the cheers that followed each explosive sound. They stepped through the vegetation just in time to see a satyr throw an empty jug into the air and one of Bill’s men shoot it causing it to shatter. Many pieces of glass and clay had already stamped flat into the ground under the satyr’s hooves and the crew’s boots.

A handful of the party goers had taken to the pond, various bits of clothing left around the edge that were carefully monitored by their owners lest they be stolen. Above them on the boulder sat three satyrs playing their flutes but they weren’t quite in tune now that they had alcohol in their systems. On the side of the clearing opposite the makeshift shooting range others had put together a wrestling ring and from the looks of it the herd queen was the reigning champ, her cream fur stained with dirt.

An oddly green looking satyr rushed past Bill and Dipper. The siren cringed when he heard the telltale signs of someone being sick. Bill tapped a finger against his lip as he looked over the increasing chaos, he had never been sober during these events.

“You know, I think I’m starting understand why Amalia hates these.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Slightly early update since I'm going out today!
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Sirens from bonded pairs always describe how they knew differently from a spark when they first meet to a desire to see the other every day for the rest of their life so younger sirens usually have no idea what to expect!


	26. Freebird!

Bill turned to speak to Dipper only to find the space next him empty. The siren was easy to spot, ruffling feathers shining in the sun as he was unwillingly pulled across the clearing by a pair of satyrs. Though he tried Dipper didn’t have the proper foot structure to successfully dig in his heels. Bill walked quickly to intervene.

He grabbed the siren’s shoulders jerking the kidnapping to a sudden stop.  Bill moved to stand beside Dipper, keeping an arm around his shoulders as he offered the satyrs a pointed grin.

“Anything we can help you with?” He asked and the satyrs, one thin with thick black fur and the other stoat with brown fur, looked at one another.

“We want someone to sing proper.” The stoat one said and nodded over to the boulder were their friends were still playing off tune.

“You couldn’t have just asked?” Bill’s fingers tapped against Dipper’s shoulder as he waited for an answer.

“We tried!” The thinner one objected.

“I tried to tell them I’m spending time with you.” Dipper explained his arms tensing as he tried to slide them out of the satyrs’ tight grip. Bill turned his eyes up toward the siren.

“Do you want to sing?” Bill inquired and Dipper opened his mouth to answer but hesitated. “You can if you want to.”

“But-“

“Pigeon, you don’t have to be with me every waking moment.” Bill interrupted before the siren could make an excuse giving his shoulders a playful shake. The pirate couldn’t lie that he partially just wanted to hear Dipper sing again. The satyrs let the siren go hoping the urging from Bill would be enough to get him to agree.

“I don’t know what to sing.” Dipper took his hands back and timidly rubbed his wrists. His tone was a bit hushed as not knowing what to sing was a bit of a shameful thing for a siren to admit.

“Just anything fitting the occasion, most of them are drunk already they won’t care.” Bill replied. “I’ll be happy to listen as long as it’s you singing.”

Bill being as close as he was didn’t miss the light coo that rang in Dipper’s throat. Dipper’s brown eyes flickered between Bill and the boulder where the satyrs wanted him to perform.

“I suppose I can think of something.” Dipper mumbled as he started toward the boulder. He fluttered up to perch on the stone and after a moment of standing of awkwardly being the only one standing settled for sitting near the edge of the boulder. He clicked his talons against the stone enjoying the familiar feeling as he watched the ale and wine flow freely between the pirates and satyrs.

_“Well a Scotsman clad in kilt left a bar one evening fair,_

_And one could tell by how he walked that he'd drunk more than his share,_

_He fumbled round until he could no longer keep his feet,_

_Then he stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street,_

_Ring ding diddle iddle I de oh ring di diddly I oh,_

_He stumbled off into the grass to sleep beside the street.”_

The men shooting jugs lowered their weapons allowing a bottle to shatter to the ground as they recognized the song. A few drunken cheers came from those of Scottish descent and were proud of it. Many more joined in and clapped along with the song.

_“About that time two young and lovely ladies happened by,_

_And one says to the other with a twinkle in her eye-“_

A short, pudgy satyr pulled herself up to sit beside Dipper and stole the next few lines from him.

“See yon sleeping Scotsman so strong and handsome built,

I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt,

Ring ding diddle iddle I de oh ring di diddly I oh,

I wonder if it's true what they don't wear beneath the kilt.”

The first thing that caught Dipper off guard was the satyr’s voice, he could hear the minuscule squeaks and creaks that he had only ever heard in a untrained siren. The next was her appearance, he could barely see the whites of her eyes past her huge black irises, she had short feathers adoring her ears and there were little feather sprouts all over her silver dapple legs. He didn’t look out of politeness but it was safe to assume she also had a feathered tail.

Dipper fumbled as she quiet passing the song back to him.

_“They crept up on that sleeping Scotsman quiet as could be,_

_Lifted up his kilt about an inch so they could see,_

_And there behold, for them to view, beneath his Scottish skirt,_

_Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth,_

_Ring ding diddle iddle I de oh ring di diddly I oh,_

_Was nothing more than God had graced him with upon his birth,_

_They marveled for a moment, then one said.”_

He cut off handing the song back to her and couldn’t help but smile as he heard her voice start to clear. Dipper pondered how often she got to sing, with the inconsistences in her voice it couldn’t have been often.

“We must be gone,

Let's leave a present for our friend, before we move along,

As a gift they left a blue silk ribbon, tied into a bow,

Around the bonnie star, the Scots kilt did lift and show,

Ring ding diddle iddle I de oh ring di diddly I oh,

Around the bonnie star, the Scots kilt did lift and show.”

She certainly seemed to enjoying herself, clapping her small hands together in time with the song and gently swaying with the beat. Dipper did a sweep of the herd with his eyes and didn’t spot a single other halfblood of any kind. He knew halfbloods were often shunned, especially in herds, but other than being unused to her voice she seemed well.

_“Now the Scotsman woke to nature's call and stumbled toward the trees,_

_Behind a bush, he lifts his kilt and gawks at what he sees,_

_And in a startled voice he says to what's before his eyes._

_O lad I don't know where you been but I see you won first prize,_

_Ring ding diddle iddle I de oh ring di diddly I oh,_

_O lad I don't know where you been but I see you won first prize!”_

There were laughs and cheers as the song came to an end. Dipper ignored the shouted requests and the drunken ballads that were starting break out in favor of turning to the satyr next to him.

“Dipper.” He introduced himself offering her a clawed hand.

“Cassandra.” She said in return as she delicately took his hand.

<> 

Bill found himself clapping along with his crew, he had heard this tune plenty of times and nothing bonded a group of drunks like a good song. He paused as Amalia approached him, hair wet and from the slight tilt in her walk he guessed she had been indulging a bit herself. She bumped her shoulder into his when she had only intended to stand beside him and she rested her arm on his shoulder as she leaned against him to watch the other two sing.

“What have you been up to?” Bill asked eyeing his navigator, she never drank at these things.

“Watching the fights, Sansi kicked Daryl’s ass you should have seen it.” She replied pulling a flask from her vest to take a swig from.

“Alright but why are you wet?” He asked and she dropped her flask from her lips before she looked at him.

“You know I’m not a prude but I don’t think we’re on the right terms for you to be asking me that.” She let out a bark of laughter as his head fell back, groaning in exasperation.

“Forget I asked.” He sighed tilting his head forward so he could watch Dipper.

“Aye I will.” Amalia snickered. They stood together silently for a few moments, Amalia taking sips from her flask and occasionally handing it off to Bill. “So do ya think he’s like a swan or a rooster?”

“What?” Bill responded looking at his navigator with a furrowed brow.

“Well this whole courting business got me wondering do they do the mate for life thing or do they want all the hens in the yard?” She explained further and Bill turned his eyes back to the siren. He quickly recalled the confrontation between Dipper and the herd queen.

“I think he does the mate for life thing.” He said and she took a long swig of her drink, making a noncommittal noise. Bill glanced at her, a few questions popping up in his mind now that she had introduced the idea to him. Sure, the siren was focused on courting him now but what about in the future, would the siren want to court others while keeping the captain as part of his flock? He wasn’t sure he’d want to share the siren with anyone.

He looked back at Dipper in time to see the siren whispering to the satyr who had joined him on the boulder. Her ear turned up as she listened with interest and she bit her pillowy lower lip to stifle a giggle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: For anyone that's curious while this is all happening Logan is back at the ship taking a well deserved nap.
> 
> This chapter's song is 'The Drunken Scotsman'
> 
> Fun Satyr Fact: Satyrs form tight knit family groups that tend to be rather large, over half of the satyrs seen these last few chapters are related in some way!  
> (Also I'm running low on Fun Facts so if guys have any questions feel free to ask and I'll save them for future chapters!)


	27. Proven Wrong & Probably Not A Great Decision

Bill’s eyes narrowed as he watched the two mythicals. Whatever Dipper had told the little satyr had the siren blushing and a sickly heat settled in his skin. He snatched Amalia’s flask from her and took a long drink from it. The navigator blinked before looking over at her captain, a smirk forming on her face as she realized what was happening.

“Oh my, is the grand Captain Cipher jealous of a little goat bird?” She teased poking his cheek. He scowled at her as he swallowed down the strong liquor.

“Of course not.” He bit out. Bill tilted the flask around in his hand, the liquid inside sloshing around as he swatted away her hand.

<> 

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck as Cassandra finished giggling, waiting for her answer to the favor he had asked of her. She patted the back of his hand that was still in her grip and she smiled up at him.

“Anything for you sweetheart.” Cassandra said before she pulled herself to her hooves. She playfully shooed Dipper off the boulder before she trotted over to the other side, leaning over to talk to someone on the ground.

Dipper quickly scoped out Bill amongst the other crew and hurried to him. The captain was too busy scowling at his tipsy navigator to notice the approaching siren until he felt clawed hands on his arms. He jolted and his head whipped around to look up at Dipper.

“Dance with me?” Dipper inquired smiling shyly. Amalia lifted her elbow off Bill’s shoulder and snatched her flask out of his hand before he could be taken away.

Bill nodded and allowed Dipper to lead to a space where they could dance. The captain stole a glance toward the boulder where Cassandra was standing, now carrying a tambourine in her hand. His gaze was brought back to Dipper as the siren came to a stop. One of Dipper’s arms wrapped around Bill, his hand resting on the small of Bill’s back while his other hand slid from the captain’s wrist to his hand.

“So what were you two chatting about?” Bill inquired laying his free hand on Dipper’s upper arm, hoping his curiosity came off casual. He could hear the jingle of the tambourine behind him.

“I may or may not have been talking about you.” Dipper began as he started to lead them in a lazy waltz. “And I may have asked her to sing so we could dance together.”

“Of course you were.” Bill mumbled under his breath, internally embarrassed at himself for his earlier distrust. Thinking back to their reactions whatever Dipper had said must have been complimentary and Bill felt a gentle warmth swell in his chest.

“What was that?” Dipper inquired not quite catching what the other had said.

“Nothing at all but I do have a question for you.” Bill moved the conversation forward and Dipper cocked his head to the side as he waited to hear it. “How many mates will you want to have?”

Dipper sputtered and momentarily stumbled over his own feet. He quickly righted himself and fell back into step, clearing his throat awkwardly.

“W-well if we bond, just you, I mean unless we meet someone that we both like then we might bond with them but that won’t necessarily happen.” Dipper stammered out, color coming to his cheeks as he watched Bill’s expression. Bill nodded as he took in the information, his eyes flickered to Cassandra and internally cursed himself when Dipper’s gaze followed. The siren looked back at Bill with a slight, disbelieving smile.

“Did you think…” Dipper began but the way Bill was avoiding eye contact was enough of an answer for him. He tightened his grip around his captain and he gave the man a reassuring smile. “Bill, there is zero chance of anything happening between me and Cassandra besides I wouldn’t dream of courting someone else without you being involved.”

Bill pursed his lips as he looked up at Dipper, rolling the new information around in his head. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the possibility of being in a relationship like that but as Dipper had said it didn’t have to happen.

“What if I wanted us to court Cassandra?” Bill inquired a little curious about that ‘zero chance’ statement. Dipper just snorted.

“I doubt we’d get very far.” He chuckled.

“And why’s that, I happen to think we’re spectacular specimens.” Bill objected with a mock haughty huff.

“She’s pregnant Bill, I mean if you want to come back in about a year we could try our luck then.” Dipper joked knowing their chances of ever encountering this herd again were pretty slim.

“When did she tell you that?” Bill asked with his brow furrowed. He stole another glace at the singing satyr, nothing about her screamed ‘about to be a mother’ to him. She was certainly more active than any pregnant woman he had ever seen, twirling and fast footed as she sang.

“She didn’t, you can’t tell?” Dipper replied seemingly as confused as his captain.

“No of course not.” Bill retorted defensively, it was difficult to tell with human woman sometimes how was he supposed to tell when it came to someone of an entirely different species? He found himself abruptly horizontal as the siren dipped him, his grip on the taller tightening.

“Seriously, do you humans have any instincts left?” Dipper teased with an expression that Bill thought was unnecessarily smug.

“I have enough instincts to know you’re a little shit.” Bill shot back with a grin reaching up to poke the siren’s nose. Dipper blinked, nearly going cross-eyed for a second as he followed the captain‘s hand before he refocused on Bill’s face. He rolled his eyes despite the smile on his face as he pulled Bill back upright.

“You can really be a fledgling sometimes, you know that?” Dipper asked as he led the pirate into a spin.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Bill chimed when he was facing the siren again. He leaned up to catch the other’s lips and their dance paused. Considering what he was doing and who he was doing it with Bill would have exercised more caution but knowing his crew they’d be too far gone by now to remember this even if they noticed the pair.

The captain finally allowed the words of Cassandra’s song to sink in as he basked in the moment.

“Oh that man is on my list,

And oh that man I wanna kiss,

My only sin is I can't win,

Oh I wanna love that man!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Come on Bill, if you're not careful you'll be caught long before you make the announcement
> 
> This chapter's lyrics are from 'That Man' by Caro Emerald
> 
> Fun Hybrid Fact: Hybrid Rejection - Bird-like mythicals and most predatory species tend to have the lowest levels of hybrid rejection, those who do reject tend to be some level of purist(like Logan’s mother) or pack/clan members that for whatever reason don’t recognize the hybrid as a member of their species.
> 
> This gets completely flipped however when you look at prey species, especially if they form groups, as they’ll usually view the hybrid as a possible liability or threat to the herd. The satyr herd in this story actually has three hybrids associated with it!
> 
> Toro – Father was a minotaur
> 
> Cassandra – Father was a siren
> 
> Modi – Mother was a dragon
> 
> Out of these three Toro would have the easiest time being accepted by the herd if he really wanted to because other than some physical differences he could easily be misidentified as an overgrown satyr but he takes after his father’s loner ways and though he’s usually in the vicinity of the herd he doesn’t actively seek to be part of it.
> 
> Modi is a completely different story, what little tolerance he does get from the herd is due to Cassandra’a acceptance of him as she has established a respectable position over the years. He is simultaneously viewed as a threat and a liability which is mostly because he is a prime example of outbreeding depression. The extreme mix of his heritage has left him with a sensitive stomach, he produces body heat but not enough to actually maintain homeostasis and though he inherited the ability to breath lightening he doesn’t have the proper adaptations to do so safetly.  
> Hybrid herds aren’t completely unheard of and these three will probably be breaking off from the main herd in the next years if not the next few months!
> 
> (Thank you SouzouWriter for your question!)


	28. Trouble Comes With Horns and Hooves

“What do you think it would take?”

There was a dull thud beside him as his friend in his despair let his head drop onto the bank of the pond. After a moment the smaller satyr lifted his head back up, resting his cheek on his fist as he stared at nothing.

“This is it, this is how I get run out of the herd.” He mumbled to himself. He wanted to explain to the other that his insatiable need to fight everything was going to get him seriously hurt, that his position as the herd queen’s grandson meant nothing to these visitors but he didn’t waste his breath, he had tried to explain this to him before. “I’m going to get run out of the herd because I’m a terrible friend and let you get yourself killed.”

“Oh come on, live a little Rassy.” The larger teased and splashed his friend, not budging him at all before turning his eyes back to his target.

“No you need to live a little less before you before you end up dead.” Rasmus snapped though there wasn’t much bite behind his words.

“Whatever but really what do you think I would have to do to make him really mad?” He inquired again and Rasmus let out an aggravated sigh. He had been bouncing ideas off the smaller satyr all evening for ways he could get the visiting siren to completely blow his top, everything from insulting his singing to cutting in while the siren danced with his mate. Thankfully Rasmus had been able to talk him out of the latter.

“Being your friend is exhausting.” Rasmus stated flatly deciding it was better not to dignify that question with a response.

“What if I went up and just yanked one of his feathers?” He went on completely undeterred by his friend’s lack of enthusiasm. All he received was silence and he eventually looked at the smaller to see him looking positively grumpy. He leaned down to lightly butt his head against Rasmus’ shoulder and after a few moments the other’s resolve cracked so he returned the gesture, bumping his head to the larger’s.

“Ugh you two are gross.” The pair looked up to another buck, a handful of years older than them lounging beside the pond. His long, straight hair braided back out of his face and the look in his grey eyes told them he was already bored with the conversation they hadn’t started yet.

“Well what do you suggest I do Orangel?” The older rolled his eyes.

“Praise Pan, if you really want to fight him just challenge him to a match.” Orangel advised and dismissively gestured toward the where wrestling matches were still being held. Rasmus’ head whipped around to look at his friend.

“Andoni please…” Rasmus pleaded but that light was already shining in the other’s eyes.

Andoni grinned and pointed at Orangel as if he had said something genius as he pulled himself out of the water. His rusty brown fur was dripping wet and his fur was sticking up in kinds of unflattering angles. Rasmus reached out to him with an ingrained need to make him look presentable but the other was out of range before he could do anything.

He threw a glare at the unaffected Orangel before he lifted himself out of the pond and ran his hands over his legs to flatten out the fur while driving out some of the water. Rasmus trotted after his friend; if he couldn’t stop his friend he could at least try to minimize the damage.

Andoni was off like a bullet toward the siren. Dipper and Bill were sitting at the base of the boulder, the pirate’s legs laid over the other’s lap as they talked. Dipper paused mid-sentence as the satyr approached, his mouth closing to form a firm line.

“Remember me?” Andoni asked hands proudly on his hips.

“Wish I didn’t.” Dipper grumbled kneading Bill’s knee, mindful to use the flat pads of his fingers and not his claws.

“Ah no reason to be like that, I just wanted to suggest a good old fashioned brawling match.” The satyr continued and directed the other’s gaze to the makeshift ring. After a second Dipper looked over at Bill who gave the siren a crooked grin and pulled his legs back.

With his captain’s blessing Dipper stood up before offering Bill his hand to help pull him to his feet. Dipper hadn’t properly play-wrestled since he was in his juvenile fluff with Mabel, she even on occasion let him win, but he was confident in his strength. He’d have to be careful of his claws and talons though, he didn’t want to actually hurt the kid.

Andoni practically skipped to the ring, passing Rasmus on the way and his friend quickly turned to follow after him. He could hear the flutter of wings and he could feel adrenaline start to trickle into his bloodstream. The young satyr pushed his way through the crowd and onto the flat expanse of dirt.  He eyed his great uncle standing off to the side with his grandmother, her fur an absolute mess while his was as clean and groomed as ever.

Dipper dropped down on the other side of the ring and rolled his shoulders. He took the time the satyr used to compose himself to dig the talons of his right into the ground. Even with the size difference Dipper when he wasn’t much heavier than the satyr and the other could easily topple him if he wanted to.

Andoni tilted his head down letting Dipper see his horns, a gesture that probably wouldn’t be threatening for another couple years and the siren lifted his hands. The satyr charged him and as he approached Dipper suddenly lifted his left foot letting it collide with Andoni’s chest. The buck’s hooves slide out from under him and he hit the ground flat on his back, the dirt sliding against his bare skin.

The satyr rolled to the side before the same foot could come down on him. Andoni scrambled to his feet while Dipper dislodged his talons from the dirt. The younger quickly turned around aiming for the other’s waist to try and bring the siren to the ground only to find the space where Dipper had been was empty.

Andoni looked around to find he was now alone in the ring before a weight hit him in the back sending him back to the ground. Dipper landed beside him and lifted a foot to flex his talons, the joints in his toes popping.

“Ready to give up?” Dipper inquired as he stepped around the satyr. Andoni huffed as he propped himself up on his elbows. He swung his leg around and his hoof connected with the back of Dipper’s knee.

Dipper fell with a grunt and shot a glare at the grinning satyr. The sense of competition finally hit the siren and Andoni grin disappeared as Dipper’s pupils dilated. The primal prey part of his brain reacting to something his conscious brain didn’t recognize.

The siren snarled and pounced on the goat. Andoni snorted and pushed to meet the predator, his horns hitting Dipper’s shoulder hard enough that there would certainly be a bruise there in a few minutes. Dipper grabbed one of the buck’s horns and twisted his head away from him trying to drive him to the ground.

The two scrapped together in the dirt, Dipper taking a few hooves to the gut and Andoni gaining a couple scratch marks. The siren finally pushed Andoni into the ground, pinning one of his arms behind his back.  Their breaths came in hard and ragged, Dipper growling softly as Andoni tried to writhe out of his grip.

“Alright I’ll call this one, you got him.” Dipper felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see the herd queen standing behind him. Dipper nodded and let Andoni go as he stood. The herd queen practically scruffed her grandson as she helped him to his hooves.

Andoni gave an empty threat that he’d get Dipper next time before he was dragged off grinning by his grandmother. The siren snorted and turned around to find Bill waiting for him at the edge of the ring. He swallowed thickly as he watched Bill’s eyes look him over.

“Looking good there gladiator.” Bill praised and Dipper cocked his head.

“Gladiator?”

“I’ll tell you later, I just want to look at you right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Early update due to me having to go out again!
> 
> Fun Satyr Fact: Satyrs have to take baths to keep themselves clean, both water and dust, and populations that have longer fur have been known to make crude combs from wood or if the environment allows it they'll simply use twigs from pine trees!  
> (Thank you anon!)


	29. Something In the Air

The festivities went on long into the evening, alcohol and good feelings easily passing between the two groups but even that wasn’t enough to keep them all awake. Those who could manage stay on their feet gathered around a bonfire while everyone else collapsed in the cool grass at the clearing’s edge. A few satyrs sat beside their sleeping companions, ears lazily rotating listening for anything of concern.

Dipper watched them for few moments using their acute sense of hearing to supplement his average ears, a practice not uncommon among predators like him who relied on their eyes to hunt. The satyrs showed no signs of alarm and Dipper continued on his way to the grass until a voice caught his attention.

“You can sleep between us if you need to sweetie.” Cassandra was leaning over the side of a huge buck Dipper didn’t remember seeing before speaking to someone the siren couldn’t see. If she got a response he didn’t hear it but she nodded and pressed her fingers to her lips before pressing them to the person out of Dipper’s line of sight. She tossed herself down into the larger satyr’s arms, snuggling up into his chin as he buried his face in her long dark hair.

Dipper suddenly felt lonely as he watched them. He quickly scanned the area and spotted Bill lying out in a bit of grass, staring up at the stars. The siren stalked up beside him, taking in how the distant light highlighted his form.

“Mind if I sleep next to you?” Dipper’s voice came out softer than he expected. Bill tilted his to look at him and smiled. The pirate propped himself up on his elbows and placed the heel of his right boot on his left toe.

“Well, my mother would think it terribly improper but she’s not here so go ahead.” Bill responded and snorted a small laugh, he couldn’t get the image of his mother sewing the siren into the sheets before leaving them alone out of his head.

Dipper flopped down into the grass and stretched, a few bruises had bloomed across his skin. There were two large marks on his shoulder and a dappling of purple across his abdomen from Andoni’s hooves. He relaxed into the grass, the Earth was much softer then the stone he was used to back with the flock.

“Aren’t you tired?” The siren inquired, his body turned toward the pirate. Bill seemed so bright eyed despite all the events of the day.

Bill made a noncommittal noise and shrugged. He shifted himself over, closing most of the few inches between the two before he laid back down. After a few more moments of staring up at the sky, fingers tapping against his stomach he turned over on his said to face the now dozing siren.

“Do you miss them, your flock I mean?” Bill asked and Dipper’s eyes cracked open. He blinks a few times as fully reentered the waking world and gave a thoughtful hum.

“Mabel and my grunkles.” Dipper mumbled, his eyes half lidded. The flock they had been living with numbered around fifty members something that hadn’t bothered Mabel nearly as much as it had bothered him when they first joined. Not that he was solitary by any means, most sirens couldn’t stand being alone for very long, but it had been a huge adjustment from the small family group they had spent their childhood in. That didn’t even take into account the hundreds of sirens that flooded the cliffs during winter. “I was probably going to leave soon anyway.”

“Why?” Bill couldn’t help but notice the hollowness in the siren’s statement.

“I hate migrating but I’m just not built to live in a flock that big, I was thinking of moving inland and roosting near a lake.” Dipper admitted and he stretched out one his wings to lay it over Bill. He’d been thinking about it for years but he was waiting to see what Mabel would do. He was sure if he suggested it to her she would have gone with him, it wasn’t like they’d be going too far but she loved living with the flock and he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“You wouldn’t like most of the port towns we visit then.” Bill chuckled reaching up to run his fingers along Dipper’s wing. The siren made a soft sound of agreement his having fallen shut again.

Bill wanted to ask him more but decided to let the bird sleep. He scooted closer and Dipper’s wing tightened around him.

<> 

Dipper was one of the first to wake up and he ran a hand through his hair, the strands heated by the sun beating against the back of his head. He tucked his arm back to his chest, the back of his arm brushed against something soft and warm. His eyes focused and he noticed Bill curled under his wing, protected from the sun by his feathers.

The siren smiled fondly at his captain and reached out to brush some stray hair out of his sleeping face. He leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, tempted to curl up around him and go back to sleep.

Dipper could hear hooves pressing into dirt and grass. He looked over his shoulder to see the satyrs getting prepared to leave, gathering up what few items they had brought to the clearing and helping their hungover friends walk.

He turned back towards Bill and was about to give into his temptation when he heard a snort. His head whipped around and he quickly picked out the herd queen, Sansi. She was by the jungle edge, her body rigid and her ears flicking as she tried to locate a sound. She snorted again and many of the satyrs seemed to be a similar level of discontent.

The siren turned back to Bill and gently nudged him, pulling his wing back. Bill groaned as he was exposed to the light and rolled over in an attempt to escape. Dipper nudged him a little harder, a low clicking sounding his throat.

“What?” Bill grumbled turning back over to face the siren.

“We should head back to the ship, I’m sure you’d be more comfortable there.” Dipper suggested. Bill sat up and groaned as he became aware of how stiff his back was.

“Yeah, that sounds like a plan.” The captain agreed as he stretched. He wasn’t ready to be awake but if he stayed there much longer rigamortis would start to set in.

Dipper was quickly on his feet and by the time Bill was the satyr herd had already started filing out of the clearing. The captain didn’t pay them much mind as he searched out his navigator and kicked her boot, he didn’t get much more than a groan in return.

“Can you crow?” Bill inquired looking back at the siren.

“I can try.”

One obnoxiously loud noise later and the crew were awake though incredibly irritated. Bill found it hilarious even if his own ears were ringing and any joke he made about adding Dipper to the morning routine earned him a glare.

The group headed into the tree line toward the river where the ship would still be waiting. Dipper slowly fell to the back, alert and occasionally glancing over his shoulder. The crew were talking and joking as usual and Dipper couldn’t help but ponder again if humans had any instincts left. He didn’t see anything behind him but combined with the lack of singing birds didn’t do anything to relax his nerves, it only reaffirmed that he was missing something.

Logan was waiting, leaning against the railing beside the gangplank for them. The feline tore his gaze away from jungle when Dipper came beside him pausing at the top of the gangplank.

“Ya feel that?”

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Happy Easter everyone!
> 
> There seems to be something hounding our friends here...
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: How common twins are among siren's really depends on the species. For those like Dipper's past mate, a Hazel Grouse, its expected to lay about three eggs over the course of ten or so days while Greater Sea Eagles like Dipper usually only have one large egg and really aren't built to handle more then that. It's not uncommon for twin pregnancies to be fatal for sirens like Greater Sea Eagles, either for the mother or one of the eggs, Dipper and Mabel's mother hasn't had a brood since them and Mabel is noticeably bigger then Dipper.
> 
> Usually you can guess by how the species raises their young how many they'll have with sirens who raise their young alone laying the most and those who mate for life laying the least.  
> (Thank you Cashew!)
> 
> Also a side thought I've been writing little oc drabbles and been thinking about posting them


	30. A New Level

The feeling of being stalked itched away at Dipper’s skin even when the gangplank was raised and they were safely on their way. Logan had shared his sentiment but even with the feline’s heightened hearing and scent they still couldn’t identify what was actually wrong. The nekomata decided he would keep his ears open for anything, whatever this was would have to swim into the river and climb the ship before it could get to them and he was confident he would hear them before it got to that.

Dipper took to the crow’s nest so he could watch the ship from all sides. The feeling of being watched never left him yet he spotted no eyes nor hide or even suspicious movement in the foliage. The thought that whatever had been there had already passed crossed his mind but even Logan was still on alert so it couldn’t be just him.

“Pigeon!”

Dipper was startled out of his thoughts by Bill’s voice. He peered down to see the captain looking up at him. His eyes flickered up for a moment and he was struck by how much time had gone by, the sky now painted in hues of red and violet. The siren glided down to land beside his captain.

“What have you been doing up there?” Bill inquired.

“Just guarding.” Dipper left it at that, not sure how to describe the strange feeling he and Logan were experiencing.

“Well, I’m calling it an evening and I was hoping you’d join me.” Bill suggested and Dipper nearly didn’t hear him, too focused on the fingers walking up his chest and the smoldering gaze of the man speaking to him.

“I-I’d love to.” Dipper stammered as color bloomed across his face.

“Good cause if I remember correctly we have some unfinished business.” Bill chuckled and Dipper wondered if the pirate could feel his heart beating under his fingertips. He pulled his hand away leaving behind a lingering warmth on the other’s skin.

Bill opened the door to his cabin and threw Dipper a wink before disappearing inside. Dipper was quick to follow him into the dim room. All the plants he had brought in had dried out but their scent still remained, filling the room with a natural sweetness. Dipper spotted Bill’s hat hanging off his chair, the feather he had given him was tucked into the band.

Bill shred his coat and dropped it in the chair before reaching up to undo the first few buttons of his shirt. Dipper couldn’t explain it as a creature who was used to nudity but there was something exhilarating about Bill revealing skin to him. The pirate playfully tugged on his collar and Dipper’s breath hitched as he caught sight of the other’s collarbone, there was a large scar there and a small indent where some of the bone was missing.

“How did that happen?” Dipper’s voice was low and a little husky as he stepped forward. His hand slid beneath the thin, white fabric of the other’s shirt and his claw lightly traced the wound.

“I was shot a few years ago, clearly before Leifson was on board.” Bill answered bringing up a hand and laying it over Dipper’s. He pressed the siren’s palm down against his skin, the scales on Dipper’s hand were rough on his skin.

Dipper raised his other hand and skimmed his fingers through Bill’s hair before cupping his cheek. His heart was fluttering behind his ribs as he leaned down and kissed him. The pirate reached up, grabbing the back of Dipper’s neck with his free hand and pulled him closer.

The siren pushed his mate back against the desk. Bill easily maneuvered himself up onto the desk without letting go of the other, Dipper quickly moved into the open space between his legs. Claws worked together to push the shirt’s buttons through their little slots, revealing a beautiful expanse of dark skin. The pirate’s skin was decorated with scars and marks from his years of traveling, each individual and with own story behind them.

Bill’s breathe stuttered against Dipper’s lips as those rough hands dragged along his sides, sending tiny sparks into his blood. He pulled his hands away from Dipper so he could tear off his shirt, letting it drop off his shoulders onto the desk.

Dipper pulled out of the kiss, pressing forward to gently place his forehead to Bill’s. In the dim candlelight of the room Bill could faintly see his reflection in the siren’s dilated pupils.

<> 

Bill pulled a mirror out of one of the desk’s upper drawers and held it up so he could inspect his shoulder. The siren had left teeth marks in his skin, not much more then pinpricks considering what Dipper could do but that hadn’t stopped him from apologizing profusely. The captain traced the ring of wounds with his finger, they were a little sore but he’d had worse. Bill bit his lower lip as he inspected it, Dipper had assured him that biting wasn’t usually part of mating but he hoped he could persuade him otherwise.

The captain was startled out of his thoughts by a loud thunk out on the deck. He set the mirror back in the drawer before sliding a shirt on, doing up the buttons. He threw open the door to his cabin and took a double take as he spotted the source of the sound.

A large piece of driftwood had been dropped beside the deck railing, a few smaller branches laying beneath it. Dipper stood on the railing with one foot on the piece as he inspected it, he was drenched from the knee down and the wood was dripping with mud. He looked up when he heard the door open and smiled at the captain, offering a small wave before he returned to the wood.

“What are you doing?” Bill inquired moving to stand beside the woodpile.

“Stocking up on materials, where do you want to put the nest?” Dipper hopped down onto the deck. His breathing was ragged from exerting himself and a thin layer of mud was on his hands. He would have just started building it in the crow’s nest but Bill couldn’t fly and he wanted it somewhere he could easily access it.

“Pigeon we don’t need a nest.” Bill responded, his brow furrowing.

“Of course we do.” The siren insisted.

“Dipper, you know we can’t have eggs right?”  The captain gestured between the two. Dipper looked at him blankly for a moment as if the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. He blinked a few times before shrugging dismissively.

“We can always adopt or steal one.” He flew off before Bill could respond leaving the captain slack-jawed. Once he had fully processed what the siren had said Bill reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

He wasn’t sure he how he was going to talk him out of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay we have a lot to talk about today!
> 
> Firstly, my darling moirail Haruprincess has posted the first chapter of her pirate au billdip 'Eta Ursae Majoris'! Its amazing, Dipper's a kickass pirate captain and Bill's a snarky shit and Mabel's there and she doesn't put up with Bill's snarkery, it's great! I would really appreciate it if you guys could go over there and check it out!
> 
> Secondly, there was no smut in this chapter because my teratophilia is real and I can't decide if Dip should have a prehensile donger or a cloaca. So I'm thinking I could write a side thing that is two version of this sex scene, what do you guys think?
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Since there are hundreds of siren species it would take way to long to list how they partner but most sirens are pretty true to their bird counterparts. Most large flocks usually have a close to a one to one sex ratio but when it comes to triads its fairly common for one female to have two male mates as that dynamic is quite successful at raising chicks to adulthood!
> 
> On a side note the hoarding of male mates is fairly common among Bultungin (Hyena shifters) though it usually happens when there's a particularly territorial matriarch or as sexual competition against females in lower castes.  
> (Thank you I_like_stuff!)


	31. Like a Brother

Bill shifted a series of papers in front of him; Dipper hadn’t stopped gathering materials for a nest long enough for him to try and talk the siren out of it. The captain decided to take the time to find a replacement, it would reduce backlash on Dipper if they had another monster to take back. The pieces they had from the harpy and the tatzelwurm would be worth pocket change compared to what they were going to get for a live siren.

Black shuck, unicorn, jackalope, milkbird and whiwin were the requested creatures before him. A jackalope or milkbird would probably be the easiest to hunt down but the unicorn or whiwin would be worth more than a siren. If what Dipper had said about black shucks was true then the risk wouldn’t be worth the reward.

Bill sighed and for a moment pondered if raising milkbirds would be possible on the ship, keeping a few tame pairs would be a lot easier than hunting them down every time someone wanted one.

The door to his cabin opened and the sound of boots thudding against wood was enough to tell him that it was a member of his crew and he didn’t bother to look up.

“Do we have any horse hides?” The captain asked. Wizard’s shackle was always in demand and a couple large ones could easily cover the cost of a siren.

“So you’re fuckin’ the bird now?” Bill paused halfway through opening a drawer and his gaze flicked up to see Daryl. The man’s hand was wrapped in white cloth.

“Tactful as always.” Bill responded and finished opening the drawer so he could put a few of the requests letters away.

“Well sorry if I’m stepping on your sensibilities here but I was brought onto this ship to _hunt_ monsters not to help you fraternize with’em.” Daryl grumbled glaring at the dried up flowers that decorated the cabin.

“And you’ll get plenty of chances to be a big man and hunt down all the scary monsters you want but things went a little differently this time.” Bill assured and internally sighed. This happened on occasion, sailors would come to Bill looking for something glorious with no respect for the monsters or what it takes to hunt them. A hunter who shoots a stag just so he can mount something on his wall.

“That’s not what I’m getting at Cipher.”

“You could always grab a rowboat and go on a trip by yourself, dangerous idea though.” The captain suggested with a fake smile.

“Bill, what you’re doing is unnatural.” Daryl stated placing his hands on Bill’s desk and leaning forward.

As soon as the last syllable was out of the sailor’s mouth Bill burst out laughing. Daryl’s stern expression melted away into one of stunned silence.

The captain reached up to wipe moisture away from his good eye as he flung himself back in his chair. He took a few deep breaths as he tried to calm down, his chest heaving but a few giggles still managed to break through. He sniffed and leaned heavily on the arm of his chair as he let out a sigh.

“Oh you sweet summer child, there is no such thing as unnatural.” Bill swung his legs up to plant his heels on his desk, Daryl drawing back his hands before they could be kicked. “We’re all just a bunch of animals doing our best to make it through the day.”

Daryl looked at his captain flabbergasted, red in the face as he tried to string together an argument.

“We’re humans Bill, we’re not just animals!” The man argued only to be further infuriated when Bill merely shrugged.

“If you have a problem with my views or what I do you’re free to leave at any time.” Bill chuckled still feeling the leftovers of his laughing fit.

Daryl opened his mouth to curse the man out but paused when the door opened behind him. The click of talons rang in his ears and he could feel a sharp, predatory gaze on his back. Dipper prowled into his periphery and he closed his mouth.

“The others aren’t going to like this.” Daryl said finally and turned around to leave.

“Tell Amalia to come down would you?” Bill requested and sailor throw a glare over his shoulder before slamming the door shut.

“I could eat him if you wanted.” Dipper suggested and beyond the door they could hear him yelling for the navigator.

“We can’t eat all our problems Pigeon.” Bill playfully chided him. The siren leaned down to nuzzle the captain behind his ear.

“Sorry about your shoulder.” Dipper apologized again.

“I’m fine you big baby.” Bill turned his head to press a kiss to Dipper’s cheek as the siren pulled away.

The door to the cabin swung open and Amalia strolled in, giving a low whistle as she looked around.

“I like what you’ve done with the place.” She commented. Her playful smirk faltered when Bill stood without retorting. Her expression became progressively worried as she watched him cross the room to his weapons cabinet.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed the tension on the ship, specifically around Daryl.” Bill addressed her as he unlocked the cabinet and pulled out a pair of pistols. He knew his crew, knew most didn’t particularly care what he did so long as they were paid but he also knew Daryl and pack mentality was a deadly thing.

“Aye.” Amalia replied warily but didn’t hesitate to take the guns when they were handed to her.

“I want you to give one of those to Logan.” He instructed and she nodded.

“This is gonna be your first mutiny?” She asked with a stilted laugh, trying to lighten the mood as she tucked one of the pistols into her belt.

“My first time trying to suppress one.” He replied with a crooked smile.

She reached out to slap his shoulder and give it a squeeze. A moment later she jerked him into a hug, her arms crushing his middle. The captain was stunned for a moment before he patted her back; she had never been this affectionate before.

Amalia suddenly held him at arm’s length and let the man go.

“Try not to get shot again.” She told him and Bill grinned at her.

“No promises.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: God Daryl no one cares what you think about interspecies relationships!
> 
> There's another group that I don't think would care for your opinions either
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: It is impossible for most species of sirens to use guns! Since most species have hollow bones the kickback would seriously injure their hands and shoulders!


	32. Goodbye Earl

Her lungs burned from the salty air as she ran along the pier. She hopped over a stack of boxes hoping to trip up her pursuers. Her underweight body easily slipped between people in the crowd, her malnourished muscles wailing in protest at the exertion. Her hearing was trained on the shouting of officers behind her muffling the usual cacophony of the wharf.

She zig-zagged and ducked around people trying to do their daily routine and threw herself into a dark alley. She panted as she shrunk into the darkness, keeping her body close to a wall as she watched three uniformed figures move through the crowd in search of her.

A loud, raucous laughter from behind startled her and she looked over her shoulder. There were stairs leading down into the cellar of the building opposite her, a sign hanging above the door was toting it as some kind of pub. It was a bit early in the day to be drinking but that never stopped impolite company before.

She glanced back at the crowd before she trotted over to the stairs, taking deep breaths to try and calm herself down before she got inside. The door felt heavy against her arm as she pushed it open to reveal a room, sparsely populated with sailors back from sea. She walked forward, letting the door fall shut behind her as she made her way to the bar.

She sat down and stared down at her gloved hands as she waited for the bartender. Her aching body tensed when a man sat beside her.

“My, you’re shaking like a hare.” Hazel eyes still wide with adrenaline and fear turned to look at him. The grinning man was dressed in a luxurious red coat, a white shirt and black slacks with a pair of very nice dress shoes. He was dressed far too well for a dingy little place like this.

“I ain’t sick so don’t worry about it.” Her voice was gruff from how dry it was.

“I’m not worrying,” He replied and reached forward to pull at the cuff of her work glove to reveal the blood stains on her skin. She jerked her hand out of his grasp and just barely stopped herself from yelling at him. “but you seem to be in a touch of trouble.”

“What’s it to you?” She growled, the dagger hidden in her vest felt like it was searing into her skin.

“Depends, you know your way around a chronometer?” He inquired surprising her into her silence. Her brow drew together as she eyed him warily.

“I know the technicals but I don’t have any sea practice.” She answered curious to see what he wanted.

“Good enough, how would you like to become a navigator on my ship?” The captain offered with a smile.

She blinked at him, stunned. The woman had fancied the idea of being the navigator of a ship, especially in her youth but had long given up the idea it would ever be a possibility. Her fingers coiled around nothing as she recalled how amazing it had felt to hold her first chronometer, sure it had been a broken, out of date thing she had scavenged as a child but she had been enamored all the same.

“How do I know I can trust you?” She asked tempering her hope before it could get out of control.

“You’ll just have to, why don’t you order yourself something, I’ll pay.” He replied and she cursed internally. She hadn’t realized how obvious it was that she hadn’t been eating much the past few months.

“I haven’t accepted yet.” She protested.

“Yet.” His chuckle was light, playful.

“You’re not even going to ask what I did?” She prodded and he merely shrugged.

“It’s none of my business.” The man said as he gestured for the bartender to come over. She looked at him for a long moment, she literally had blood on her hands and he didn’t care.

“You’re a pirate.” She accused in a hushed tone.

“Of sorts.” He agreed. Any more talk about the subject was put on pause as the bartender walked into hearing range. The woman ordered a simple breakfast and the man ordered a small bun for himself.

“You know, you wouldn’t have to stay with us long, our next stop is Spain and you’d be free to stay there.” He informed her, he was more than capable of navigating but he was looking to free up his time.

She nodded silently as she took in the information. She had never been to Spain she thought and as she studied the man beside her, the teasings of scars visible were his clothing didn’t cover his skin, she wondered how many places he had been.

Her meal was placed in front of her and she mumbled a thank you to the bartender before picking up the bread from her plate, dipping it in the pottage. He didn’t bother her while she ate instead focusing on his own bread, biting into the side before using his finger to carve out the soft center to eat first.

Halfway through her meal the woman started to feel nauseous, her throat tightening before food could get to the back of her mouth. She brought her fist up to her mouth and she forced another mouthful down, determined to not let this plate of wheat and pork beat her.

“I can eat that if you’re not hungry.”

“Thanks.” She slid the plate over to him with a sigh.

“You really shouldn’t force it, you’ll make yourself sick, especially if you’re getting on a ship.” He said before shoving a spoonful of pottage into his mouth. She rested her cheek on her hand and narrowed her eyes at him.

“You’re really sure I’m going to agree aren’t ya?” She commented.

“I don’t see why you wouldn’t.” He responded with a crooked grin.

“Fine, let’s make this official then.” She said siting up straight and turned her body so she could face him, extending a hand toward him. “I’m Amalia Thornton.”

The man looked down at her hand and a grin split his face, he grabbed her hand tightly.

“Bill Cipher, so we have a deal?” He inquired and Amalia shook his hand before answering.

“Aye,” She responded before she suddenly grasped his wrist and pulled Bill closer. “but if ya ever turn on me, you’ll regret it.”

Amalia had never preemptively threatened someone and she wasn’t entirely sure what reaction to expect but she was sure laughter wasn’t what she wanted.

“Oh, we are going to get on swimmingly.”

<> 

“Did ya’ll forget where’d ya be if Bill wasn’t here, a bunch of fuckin’ strays.” Amalia growled her face lit up by a lantern as she stood in the center of the crew’s quarters surrounded by her crewmates. Across from her was Daryl, leaning his arm against a beam.

“How many of ya even have family off of this ship?” She pushed further her glare never leaving the man before her though in the edges of her vision she could see a few men lower their eyes. She’d fight him with everything she had; she’d fight all of them if she had to.

She had found her second chance in this ship, its crew and its captain and she’d be damned if she let anyone spit on that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So we're revving up to a confrontation amongst the crew and I have a question for you guys, who do you want the next chapter to be about, Leifson or Logan?
> 
> Fun Ship Fact: 'The Jacqueline' is a nearly eighty year old ship!


	33. A Snake Between the Planks

“Where is your captain?”

The burly man set down the crate he was carrying with a grunt before he scowled down at the young man next to him. The boy couldn’t have been much older than twenty, his hands on his hips and his brown eyes determined. The older man was not in the mood for anyone who could be this bright eyed and bushy tailed this early in the morning.

The sun had lifted but that didn’t mean much with how thick the fog was, anything beyond the pier was unclear silhouette at best and every time he took in a breath moisture clung to the insides of his nostrils. He could feel it clinging to his clothing and skin as well but he supposed that was better than it clinging to his fur.

“What do ya want him for?” He asked, he’d rather not talk to his captain if he could avoid it.

“I have a business proposition for him and this ship is perfect for my future endeavors.” The younger informed him, a wide grin on his face. The older man looked down at him, his gaze steely and guarded at the mention of the ship.

“And who are you to be propositioning anything?” He managed to bite back a snarl, the ship didn’t need another neglectful owner.

“Bill Cipher, soon to be Captain Bill Cipher.” The younger introduced himself, extending a hand to him. Bill’s grin faltered when the older man snorted.

“Yeah sure kid.” He shook Bill’s hand regardless and found himself surprised by how calloused the younger man’s hand was. “Work a farm?”

“I’ve never touched a hoe in my life, if your captain accepts my offer I’ll talk to you more about it.” Bill told him pulling his hand back. The older man sighed and scanned the area for a crewmate.

“Oi, Bennet can you handle this.” He called and the other man groaned but got down from the barrel he was sitting on. He gestured for Bill to follow him up the gangplank and led him across the decrepit deck to the captain’s cabin.

“Someone wants to talk to ya Captain.” He called as he knocked on the door. He heard a glass bottle hit the wooden floor and the groan of the captain regaining consciousness.

“Bring him in Lucas.” The captain called.

“Logan.” The older man growled under his breath before he pushed open the door. The scent of alcohol and stale bread hit his sensitive nose and Logan coughed into his fist.

Bill strode forward before Logan could introduce him and stood before the mammoth of a man that was the captain. The captain’s eyes were bloodshot and yellowing, his long beard had stripes of grey in it and his rough skin was tanned from a lifetime at sea.

“Hello sir I’m Bill Cipher, I’d like to compliment you on your beautiful ship.” The young man started but paused when the captain laughed at his statement.

“This ship is a dump.” He corrected him.

“Well if that’s how you feel then I suppose you’re probably looking for someone to take it off your hands.” Bill suggested, his left hand already going to his back pocket were his checkbook was hidden but his fingers stopped shot when the captain chuckled.

“Never, I won this thing off Oates and I’m gonna run it into the seabed.” The huge man laughed bringing a hand down on Bill’s shoulder.

Logan sneered as he watched the two laugh, Bill must’ve been as mad as the captain. He tuned out of their conversation and tried to rein in his expression, he wasn’t in the mood to be asked ‘why the face?’ by the drunkard.

“Logan!” He snapped back to attention to find both of the other men looking at him. The captain looked pleased with himself and Bill wore a triumphant smirk. “Take Bill down and have him pick out a hammock, I want’em to come with us on our next voyage.”

Logan raised a brow but didn’t question it, a few more hands and they might actually be fully staffed. He simply nodded and turned to leave, not checking to make sure Bill was following. He was thankful to be out of that room even if the rest of the ship wasn’t in much better condition.

“So Logan, how do you feel about our friend Mr. Reid?” Bill inquired drawing the larger man’s attention down to himself. Logan was taken aback to see those bright, determined eyes were now dark and predatory, pupils gazing back at the captain’s cabin.

“I’d throw him overboard if I thought I could.” He wasn’t sure what it was that drew those words out of him, perhaps it was the fellowship that formed between two predators who were after the same prey. A prey they couldn’t possibly take down alone.

“Well once we’re downstairs we’ll talk about that as a possibility.” The younger man chuckled as he trotted ahead of Logan toward the stairs that lead into the hull. He walked as if he already owned the ship.

Logan stilled on the deck, he looked down into the darkness of the hull and he couldn’t get rid of the feeling he was standing at the entrance of a cobra’s hole. He was many things but a mongoose he was not and Logan swallowed thickly. He forced himself down the first step and then the next.

<> 

Logan was quick to stand beside Amalia but he said nothing, knowing his words would mean nothing to Daryl and those who agreed with him. He felt the warmth of three men coming to stand around him. He glanced down at the man beside him. The man was shorter then him and was much thinner, his hair was still black in some spots.

“Bennet…” Logan’s voice was soft, he was not surprised that the man would stand up just worried. They weren’t young anymore and he knew that the man’s literal heart wasn’t the steadiest thing in his body.

“Bill has only ever been good for this ship and he has only ever been good to his men.” Bennet defended the man.

“You call this good to his men?” Daryl inquired holding up his wrapped up hand.

“You aren’t one of his man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright I've had really productive week so we have a lot to talk about!
> 
> Firstly I made some drawings of Logan cause out of all the ocs I've made for this story he's a little bit my favorite  
> http://viperscreeed.tumblr.com/post/143333176825/i-did-some-draws-of-logan-here-we-have-baby
> 
> Also in a little bit I'll be posting a new work called Taking Wing Tidbits which will have extra worldbuilding and all sorts of random stuff I couldn't fit in here!
> 
> Behind the Scenes Fact: Originally Logan's magic was going to be ingrained into the ship and upon having his magic suppressed the ship was going to start falling apart but I scrapped that idea when I realized how big of a detour that would take away from the main story.
> 
> P.S. Logan favorite place for scritches is his forehead and under his chin, he won't admit it though


	34. Patient, Patient, I've Got Some News

“And stay out!”

The door slammed shut in the young man’s face and he was struck dumb. He stared at the wooden barrier with wide, shocked eyes that were beginning to mist and his lips were slightly parted trying to find the words to fix this. The path to hell truly was paved with good intentions.

He failed to draw in breath as his world collapsed in front of him, the newest in a long line of failures and probably the worst for his reputation. The surgeon he was training under had just kicked him out for being inept. The young doctor could feel his trembling getting worst.

He looked down at his shaking hands and cursed them and cursed his nervousness. If he could just hold a needle steady everything would have been fine, he could have been a surgeon in a matter of months. No one would take him on after this got out, he could already hear his colleagues talking behind his back.

“Something the matter?”

The young man startled and his weepy blue eyes snapped over to look at the man beside him. The other was leaning up against the building and despite being a little shorter seemed to be a few years older.

“No-nothing.” The young man responded, coughing to clear away the squeak in his voice.

“Really, cause you’ve been standing there for about three minutes.” The newcomer informed him.

The young man averted his eyes as he tried to think of a response, the last thing he wanted was to explain his situation right now.

“I’m Bill Cipher by the by.” The man introduced himself plucking the other’s bag off the ground to hand it to him.

“Jason Leifson.” The younger introduced himself giving a small nod as he took his bag.

“Training to become a doctor Leifson?” Bill inquired glancing at the building they were in front of, the plaque above the bell held the name of a pretty illustrious surgeon. The pirate had been considering trying to recruit the man but the more he had learned about him the less likely that seemed like a possibility.

“I was, he just kicked me out.” Leifson admitted looking up at the building. Bill gave a thoughtful hum, his brown eyes studying the younger’s face.

“So, his son or his daughter?” Bill inquired and the doctor looked at him with a furrowed brow before his eyes shot open with realization.

“No, no, no, nothing like that, it was strictly professional-“ He cut himself off when the other started to snicker.

“Obviously you didn’t, I’m actually happy we’ve crossed paths, I’m going on an expedition and I’ll need a doctor on board,  are you up for it?” Bill laid his request out.

“But I was literally just kicked out…” Leifson trailed off. Bill slung an arm across Leifson’s shoulder and started to lead them down the sidewalk.

“Listen as long as you can keep my crew alive I couldn’t care less about where you come from.” Bill explained letting his arm slide off his shoulder.

Leifson chewed his lower lip and looked down at his hands, they were still tremoring slightly. People get seriously hurt on boats, never mind whatever this expedition was, and if he couldn’t keep his hands still he could make it worse. He caught at look at Bill’s face which didn’t make him feel any calmer.

The other man was walking almost perfectly in step with him, watching him intently and gave him a sharp grin when their eyes meet. Bill was on the inside of the sidewalk effectively blocking the doorways of the shops they were passing and Leifson could see the docks coming up on his other side.

He felt like he was being shepherded by a jackal.

“I can’t…” Leifson replied weakly.

“And why not?” Bill inquired raising a brow.

“I’m not qualified besides I’m probably going to be looking into a new line of work.” He didn’t want to admit that something as simple as nerves was putting an end to his budding career.

“Is it your hands?” Bill prodded and the doctor looked at him with wide eyes.

“H-how did you know?” He stammered and the captain chuckled.

“You’ve been shaking like a leaf since I laid eyes on you.” Bill laughed and lightly slapped the younger man’s shoulder. ”Why don’t we go to my ship, see how you like it and get something in you that’ll calm your nerves?”

“That… that sounds pretty nice actually.” Leifson agreed, honestly anything that could distract him from his predicament sounded nice.

Bill was smiling again when he heard that and for the first time since they had started walking together fell out of step with the doctor, now walking a few steps faster to lead him through the streets toward the docks.

“So where’s your expedition taking you?” Leifson inquired not comfortable with following the other man silently.

“Not too far from here, a client wants us to test if silver bullets actually are more effective against werewolves or not.” Bill explained looking over his shoulder. Leifson nearly tripped in his shock.

“W-what if one of you gets bit?” He inquired and Bill shrugged.

“That’ll give us a chance to test some cures but I’ve dealt with werewolves before and I’m actually pretty sure that whole ‘you turn when you’re bit thing’ is a myth.” He further explained stopping beside a gangplank.

The ship wasn’t easy on the eyes that was for sure. The wood was grey and the surface of the boards was rough with little splinters flayed out. Bits of the railing were missing and there was varies other damage that could be seen just from the dock. Leifson didn’t know anything about the maintenance of a ship but even he could tell this ship was in desperate need of repair, he couldn’t imagine what it would look like from the deck.

Bill followed the other’s line of sight, narrowing his eyes at his ship.

“Yeah don’t worry about all this, I’m going to get her fixed up before we set off again.” Bill assured with a dismissive wave of his hand before he started up the plank with Leifson following blindly behind him. The doctor stunned and intrigued by the man who just _dealt_ with things like werewolves apparently.

The younger man was perplexed once again as he watched the captain whose dangerous, mysterious air suddenly floated away when he reached the top of plank. The other man’s eyes suddenly going bright with familiarity and he called out to someone. Leifson reached the deck a few seconds later and curiously followed Bill’s line of sight.

He was rooted to the wood. Everything seemed to move slow as a woman approached them, her hands carding through her brown hair as she gathered it to tie it back. Once her hair was taken care of she acknowledged her captain, grinning back at him.

Everything came back to regular speed as she stopped in front of them and his hearing tuned back in.

“And where are you going?” Bill inquired, his tone light and teasing.

“Well mother since the ship won’t need navigating for the next week I’m off to drink myself silly.” She answered, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Bill crossed his arms, a finger coming up to his lips as he gave a thoughtful hum.

“Am I really supposed to believe that’s all?” He replied eyes narrowing at her.

“I may find a lad for the evening, or two, perhaps a lass, who knows, the night is young!” She went on with a dramatic sweep of her hand. The doctor felt color rise in his cheeks as the suggestive words were processed by his virtuous ears.

“Well as long as it’s not the Jefferson bo-“ The pair charade was broken by laughter as they couldn’t hold it together any longer.

Leifson was very confused while everyone else on deck seemed to be use to the silly display between the captain and his crewmate.

“But really try not to break too many hearts, you know how I tear up watching all those poor young things wave you goodbye.” He teased wiping the corner of his eye.

“Yeah, yeah,” She chuckled and her hazel eyes flickered to the doctor, the young doctor freezing under her gaze. “who’s the fresh meat?”

“Oh, Amalia, this is Leifson, be nice to him he might save your life one day.” He introduced the younger man and Amalia scoffed.

“I’m sure you’ll need his help way more then I will.” She turned to Leifson with a look of mock distress as she grabbed his shoulders. “Please stay, I need someone else to help me watch this idiot, he’s like the toddler I never had.”

“Hey!” Bill protested and tried to punch her shoulder but she moved out of the way before she moved out of the way and trotted down the plank before he could pursue her. She waved without looking back.

”Don’t wait up, I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Bill chuckled softly and turned to Leifson to offer him a drink but paused. An eyebrow raised curiously as he took in the dreamy expression the doctor was watching her with.

Oh that is adorable.

“Hey I have someone downstairs who could use some patching up, wanna show me what all that fancy training taught ya?” He asked and playfully shoving his arm to bring him back to the waking world. Leifson startled and blinked rapidly at him, stuttering.

“I-uh… alright?” He agreed and he regretted it as soon as his answer got a grin.

Bill happily lead him down into the darkness of the hull and the doctor looked around warily, stories of being shanghaied ringing in his ears. He started when the captain yelled for a man and a gruff voice beyond the rows of hammocks answered him.

The captain continued down the length of the dim room. Leifson’s grip on his bag tightened as his nervousness returned with full force. He didn’t turn and run though, the handful of situations he ran through his head all ended with him getting shot.

“How’s the arm?” Bill inquired and Leifson perked up. A man was sitting on a box with a book in his lap and a lamp overhead.

“Not bleedin’ anymore but it still hurts.” The older man answered, there was a bloodstained cloth wrapped around his right bicep. He undid the cloth to reveal a deep slash in the thick muscle, it wasn’t fatal and it looked clean which was good but it should definitely stitched shut.

“Well show us what’cha got.” Bill prompted turning to the young doctor.

Leifson stammered but didn’t argue dropping down to open the bag, he sifted through the bag for a moment to pull out a needle and thread. He didn’t have any disinfectant on him so they’d have to keep an extra close eye on it to make sure it didn’t get infected.

Bill crouched down with his elbows on his knees as he watched the doctor work. A cold sweat started to bead down Leifson’s neck, he brought the end of the thread up to his mouth to straighten it out before trying to weave it into the needle’s loop. He cursed internally as he kept missing and ramming the thread into his fingers then having to straighten it out again.

“You know , Amalia’s been with us for a while but she’s never had to be patched up like this.” Bill stated suddenly. Leifson’s eyes flickered up to him before dropping back down to his still moving hands but now his attention was focused on the captain.

“Really, I can’t imagine it’s because she hangs back.” He said softly.

“Definitely not, last time we messed with werewolves she ended up using a rifle to smack one off the side of a ship.” The captain informed him, he held the memory pretty fondly as it was the first battle on the ship.

Some color bloomed on Leifson’s cheeks as he pictured the scene in his mind. Her hair windswept in the heat of battle, Amalia heroically bearing an out of ammo rifle to strike a werewolf and the starstruck doctor didn’t even register the other two chuckling at him.

“Does she get along with everyone?” Leifson inquired further and Bill shrugged.

“For the most part, if you can handle some friendly teasing you should be fine, she’s pretty relaxed.” He answered.

Leifson leaned forward and broke the thread with his teeth as he thought of his next question. Halfway through putting the needle and thread away he stopped and looked at the wound he had just stitched. It wasn’t the prettiest stitch, his seamstress mother would probably have a stern word for him but it would hold the flesh together and that was important.

“So have you thought about my offer?” Bill had a smug grin on his face. Leifson looked between Bill and the stitch. He turned back to the captain and simply mouthed ‘how’.

“I thought you’d calm down if you were thinking about something you liked.” Bill was trying to sound innocent but even Leifson picked up on the underlying teasing tone. Leifson averted his eyes and shyly twirled the needle between his fingers.

“I-I suppose I could travel with you guys for a while.” Leifson relented; staying on the ship would probably be more dignified then trying to plead his way back into his apprenticeship.

“Great, none of us have any idea what we’re doing, I’d be in real trouble if I lost an eye or something out there!”

<> 

Leifson came to stand on the other side of Amalia. His little crush on her had waned over the years but that certainly didn’t make it any less intimidating to stand beside someone he looked up to.

“In my professional opinion, I have to agree with them.” He said and was proud that he didn’t stammer. His voice still didn’t hold the same power or authority but he was still going to try to make himself heard. A few of the men standing near Daryl shared a few worried glances, the only one of the group with any actual medical experience was taking sides.

Daryl narrowed his gaze he wasn’t scared of a woman, a few old men and a skittish doctor. He pushed off the beam he was leaning on and stepped forward to say his piece.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Leifson is a cinnamon roll too pure for the pirate life, someone help him
> 
> Also if you guys want to request a tidbit topic feel free to, the only reason I wouldn't do one is if I thought it would spoil something in this!
> 
> Also also, another mythical will be appearing in this story and I really want to see if you guys can guess it!  
> Your hints thus far: Hounding, interspecies and blood drinking(I revealed this on my tumblr a little while back)
> 
> Behind the Scenes Fact: When I was developing a doctor character I wanted his name to have the word leaf as an allusion to Leafpool from the warriors series because I'm a nerd, Leifson isn't the only one as Logan was named directly after the the older brother character from Fable III.


	35. A Collision of Worlds

The sun was bright, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the port was bustling with life. A dark haired man trotted through the crowd, enjoying the scent of salt on the air and the weight of coin in his pocket.  He had just finished his service upon a ship and was now chomping at the bit to spend his earnings.

Food was the first thing on his mind, he wanted something fresh something that wasn’t dried to all hell or mostly made of preservatives. He treated himself to a fluffy pastry filled some kind of sweet jam still warm from the oven. He was already fantasizing about his dinner, he’d have something with all the fixings, pork and beans with something else on the side he didn’t really care so long as it was delicious. Then he’d sleep for a week, in a real bed with blankets and such.

He strolled along a line of stalls, gazing at their wares idly as it wasn’t late enough to inquire where the nicest inn was at. His brown eyes trailed over all manner of jewelry and trinkets but nothing particularly caught his eye.

There was clack and he found himself glancing up to find the source of the noise. Not that the sound was unusual with so many people moving about especially with their wares but this one really stood out to him.

His gaze almost immediately landed on a woman. She was tall, her thin figure clad in a cascading dark green gown and bright blonde hair that hung nearly to her waist. After a few seconds of looking at her did he start to notice there was something weird going on. Firstly that she appeared to be muzzled, a mask of metal cover her nose and mouth and was held in place by a strap of leather. Then there was the shackles binding her wrists together, a chain leading to the man beside her. The man was speaking to a merchant who was surrounded by little cages containing chickens.

He puffed up his chest and strode toward them. The woman very quickly noticed him approaching and she batted her long eyelashes at him, her hands coming to rest on her chest.

The man beside her noticed her movement and momentarily looked away from the merchant he was speaking with to see what had gotten her riled up. He almost laughed when he saw the man coming towards them all flexed muscle and fiery eyes.

“Ma’am are you alr- Jesus Christ!” Before he could finish his question the woman had hissed at him, her beautiful blonde locks curling up into grey gnarls. He stumbled over his own feet as he backed away from her.

“Now that wasn’t nice.” The man holding her chain chided her but it didn’t leave much impact coming through his crooked grin. As quickly as she had transformed she was back to normal though now there was something condescending in her brilliant blue eyes as she looked the dark haired man over.

“W-what, what… wha?” He struggled with his words as he tried to comprehend what he saw. Under more usual circumstances he would have been bashful about his outburst especially with the glances he was getting from passersbys.

“She’s a glaistig, I’m dropping her off with a client.” The shorter man explained though it didn’t clear up much for the other.

“A client?” He inquired and raised a skeptical brow. The other man opened his mouth to explain further but paused when the glaistig hissed impatiently.

“You know what lets walk and talk.” The other said and put himself between the dark haired man and glaistig as they started to walk. “I’m Bill Cipher by the way.”

“Oh I’m Daryl, Daryl McGill.” He introduced himself but quickly moved past the pleasantries. “So about your client.”

“Ah yes good old Albert, he’s a scientist that has an office here, he studies all manner of vampiric things and he recently asked me to bring him a living subject so I brought him a glaistig since they’re usually pretty reasonable.” Bill went on keeping an eye on her since she was starting to look pretty irritable.

Daryl started at the term ‘vampiric’ and looked over at the glaistig who was glaring at the buildings they passed.  Suddenly the look she had given him back at the market was less tempting and much more chilling.

“And this is something you do regularly?” Daryl was incredulous.

“Been doing this every day for the past decade or so, after this we’re going out to capture a siren.” Bill declared proudly, it would probably be one of the trickiest transports he’d ever done and he couldn’t have been more excited.

Daryl didn’t respond as he couldn’t think of anything to say to the other man. He had worked on many ships in his career mostly fishing or trade, he had shared plenty of stories with other sailors and many had claimed to have seen things of a mystical persuasion but they never said they actively hunted them let alone strolled through port with living proof.

He was so deep into his thoughts that he nearly kept walking when Bill turned and walked up the few steps to a door, a plaque beside the door reading ‘Albert Duchamps’. The glaistig grabbed the skirt of her dress, lifting it so she wouldn’t trip and for a few moments revealed her delicate white hooves. The captain knocked on the door before reaching into his coat and pulling out a small key and a few folded papers.

It only took a few moments before the door was swung open by a taut, elderly man squinting through his round spectacles. He smiled when he recognized the captain and his posture relaxed.

“Ah Mr. Cipher good to see you, is this my subject?” He inquired looking toward the woman who had gone from glaring at everything to simply looking away boredly.

“That she is, she’s a glaistig from a little ways up north, she hasn’t been the most talkative but I believe her name is Catherine.” Bill introduced her since she didn’t seem interested in what was going on and held out the key and papers. “Ideally she should be getting a pint of blood every other day and if you really want to get on her good side fresh milk every morning.”

Catherine perked up suddenly incredibly interested in the conversation.

“That can be arranged, here, for your trouble.” Albert reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a roll of banknotes. Once they were in Bill’s hands he bunched up the chain and pressed it into Catherine’s palms.

“Thank you, oh, she might try to mock hunt you, don’t indulge her.” Bill gave one final bit of advice tucking the notes into his coat pocket.

“I wouldn’t expect any less.” The old man’s chuckle was light, an underlying wheeze in his breath. He turned his attention and stepped back out of the way of the door. “Alright dear let’s get those chains off of you.”

The glaistig didn’t so much as look back at Bill as she trotted inside, her hooves clicking against the wood floor.

“I look forward to doing business with you again.” Bill said before the two man exchanged goodbyes. The captain turned around and grinned at Daryl as he descended the stairs.

“So that’s it, you’re just gonna leave that thing where it can easily escape?” Daryl accused and Bill rolled his eyes.

“Kid, if she was any less dangerous I wouldn’t have even bothered muzzling her.” Bill replied, most of the reason he had even bothered was to help keep her calm while going through the crowd. She’d be a lot more comfortable once she was at the Duchamps’ estate.

“And how do you know that it isn’t actually dangerous?” Daryl pushed, brow furrowed as he glared down at the shorter man. Bill sighed before returning the man’s glare with a grin.

“Why don’t you come along and see for yourself, I need extra hands for the expedition anyway.”

<> 

“Cipher doesn’t consider any of us to be any better than the monsters he pays us to hunt and it’s pretty clear fuckin’ clear to me that he prefers them.” Daryl announced looking around at his crewmates. “I’m sure you’ve all noticed how his relationship with the siren has been progressin’.”

No one spoke in response but many nodded their heads. The captain hadn’t been the most subtle about his attraction to monsters in general and short of pinning the bird to the deck his status with siren couldn’t have been any clearer.

“I’m also sure I’m not the only one who thinks there’s something not right about it.”

“You’re such a prick.” Amalia interrupted him before he could further explain his point. He glowered at her but she didn’t flinch even when he took the few steps to crowd her space. Her hands tightened into fists wanting nothing more than to knock the man flat.

“So you don’t think there’s anything wrong with fucking a different species?” He asked and she scoffed an incredulous chuckle leaving her throat at his phrasing.

That’s when the real yelling started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Shout out to the anon who introduced me to the glaistig!
> 
> Also this not the mythical I was talking about last chapter, you still have time to guess! But we'll be returning to your regularly scheduled billdip next chapter!
> 
> Business Fact: A pretty decent portion of Bill's clientele do eventually get killed by the monsters they have him bring, usually it's the result of them not properly caring for the monster or not adhering to Bill's warnings.
> 
> Catherine is still happily living at the Duchamps estate, getting her milk fix every morning.


	36. My Voice is Yours

Bill paced back and forth in his cabin. He could hear his crew yelling and it took every ounce of his control not to go down there and join them. As much as he wanted to he couldn’t force anyone’s compliance, if half the crew resented him that would only lead to trouble and the more he pushed the more resentment would grow. He just needed to keep the peace until they got to a port.

Dipper occasionally looked up from the frame of the nest he was building to his pacing mate. Human social groups seemed way more sensitive than that of sirens. The branch he was bending suddenly snapped startling both of them.

“Pigeon, we’re not going to need a nest.” Bill hadn’t flat out told the siren that he didn’t want to raise a chick yet. Dipper looked between the snapped branch and the stressed captain a few times before standing and stepping back from it.

“You’re right… now’s not a good time.” He’d probably still finish it, for his own use if nothing else. Bill quickly returned to his stressing and the siren shifted uncertainly on his feet. He fiddled with his claws as he considered what he should do. He glared at the floor as a particularly loud shout was barely muffled by the boards.

Dipper’s chest puffed up and he strode over to his mate. Bill was startled out of his thoughts by claws gently touching his wrist and was further taken aback by the intensity of the siren’s stare. Bill allowed himself to be pulled so he was fully facing Dipper.

“Bill, they’re your flock and I’ll protect them but you are my first priority and all you have to do is give the word,” Bill back hit a wall and Dipper’s hands slammed against the wood on either side of him. “and I’ll make them kneel.”

A deep growl rolled in Dipper’s throat, the sound softening when Bill’s fingers pressed to his throat. The captain’s touch glided over the vulnerable flesh feeling the vibrations in his fingertips. Plenty of creatures had growled at Bill before but never had one growled for him, there was something comforting knowing that the force behind the sound wanted him safe and alive.

He took in the sight of the protectively charged siren. Brown eyes burning, freckled skin taut over tense muscle and feathers standing on end.

“You look ridiculous.” Bill chuckled softly his fingers sliding along one of the puffed out feathers. Dipper’s growl stopped abruptly as he looked down at himself.

“No, I look big.” The siren disagreed, making himself look bigger was the whole point of bristling feathers.

“You look fluffy.” The human continued to tease, the other’s feathers were very soft. A smile pulled at Dipper’s lips and he dropped onto his elbows so he was even further into Bill’s space.

“You humans say stuff like that and then wonder why everything wants to eat you.” His voice was low, amused and did some strange things to Bill’s heartstrings.

“Oh trust me I am very aware of much you want to eat me.” Bill purred reveling in each and every touch from the siren.

Their moment was shattered when a crash was heard from down below and Bill cursed under his breath, he’d have to intervene.  Dipper kept him caged there for a moment, looking ready to intervene himself.

“Bill, get your earmuffs.” Dipper said and Bill raised a brow at the order.

“I didn’t give ‘the word’.” The captain’s voice was firm and Dipper paused before he could fully pull away. “What are you going to do?”

“Just… just a little song to calm them down.” The siren informed him, eyes turning away from his mate’s face. “Nothing I wouldn’t do for my own flock.”

Bill considered his words for a moment, it wouldn’t be a fix but if it could put off a mutiny he wouldn’t turn it down. He reached up and brushed some hair out of the siren’s face, the touch enough to bring Dipper’s eyes back to his face.

“Go for it.” Bill allowed and Dipper pulled away from him.

The captain walked over to his desk to unlock the drawer he kept the earmuffs in. He pulled one of the wooden contraptions and slid them over his ears, all sound around him disappearing into a scrambled swirl. He wondered over to the open door of his cabin and leaned against the frame.

Dipper was sitting beside the opening to the hull on the side opposite the first step. The captain watched him for a moment, the way his lips curved over the words he was singing and how his eyes fluttered shut. Temptation itched in Bill’s fingers as he watched, he wanted to know what a calming siren song sounded like.

His curiosity got the better of him and he reached up to expose his ears.

_“Bow to the crown,_

_Bow to the throne,_

_And bow to the one whose favor you own._

_Remember their eyes are watching the fray,_

_Then bow to each other and fight as you may.”_

Bill’s knees went weak. The siren’s voice was so _soft_ like a caress on his mind and he white knuckled the door frame to keep himself standing. He quickly pulled the wooden earmuffs back into place but wisps of that opiate of a voice clung to him. It took a few heartbeats before his legs stopped shivering but his heart kept hammering away.

The captain slowly made him way over to Dipper and took a seat beside him before taking off the earmuffs again.

_“Honor your foe, and keep your aim true,_

_Remember they fight with the same heart as you._

_Trust in their judgement of all that you throw,_

_For they are a part of the valor you show.”_

Bill felt himself melt as Dipper’s voice washed over him. Even his bones felt soft and he was struck with the sudden desire to lie down, maybe cuddle the siren a little bit. He laid out his body so his head was resting in the crook of Dipper’s thigh and hip while the rest of him stretched out over the deck. He hummed happily as a rough, clawed hand came down to pet his cheek.

The captain was sure when Dipper stopped singing but his body still felt light and he couldn’t bring himself to move. Especially not with those claws gently petting his skin.

Dipper only looked up from his mate when he heard someone come up the steps. Logan’s head appeared and he turned to warily look up at the siren. After a moment of studying him Logan grabbed the edge of the deck and hauled himself up instead of walking up the last few steps.

“What exactly did ya do?” Logan inquired looking down curiously at the puddle that used to be his captain. He had thought the siren’s voice was nice but whatever was causing the crew to go limp had gone right over his head.

“I was just trying to calm everyone down, I didn’t think it would be this potent.” Dipper chuckled and his other hand coming to play with Bill’s hair. A low purr rumbled in his chest even as he heard Logan make a sound at all the affection.

A sound like a branch snapping near the bow made the two mythicals freeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I can't believe it took me this long to really start showcasing what Dipper's voice is actually capable of!
> 
> This chapter's song is yet another from the lovely Heather Dale called 'Bow to the Crown'
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: Dipper's bite force is around 700 psi! For reference that is similar to a jaguar's bite though Dipper's tooth structure is very different so you're probably not going to see him cracking skulls with his mouth!


	37. Woof Woof Woof

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Warning! This chapter and the next one will have quite a bit of gore and blood!

Dipper quickly turned around, Bill grumbled weakly but was too content to put up any kind of actual complaint. His eyes widened as he took in the dark figure hunching over the ship’s railing, a stone blade in their furred hand had left a huge gouge in the wood. More figures appeared, using their short blades to lift theses up.

“Adlets.” The nekomata beside him hissed, amber eyes narrowing and ears lying flat. A high pitched sound like a hawk’s shriek came unbidden from the siren’s throat.

As soon as that sound was processed by Bill’s ears he jerked upright, his stomach lurching as the warm, gooey feeling in his body went cold and solid. It felt like a hammer had been taken to his bones, tears springing to his eyes and if he could get his mouth to work he would have exclaimed that it hurt like a _bitch_. A heavy, dreadful cloud fogged around the captain’s brain, seeping into every nook and cranny.

Dipper’s eyes were wide and frantic, a hand coming up to cover his mouth as he realized what he had done. He wanted to fuss, to apologize for not easing him out of zone he was in more carefully but the adlets were gathering on the deck.

Some were standing while others walked on all fours, pink tongues lolling out of their thick muzzles. They were packed together near the bow, warily eyeing the three ship residents before them. An amassing red furred force of teeth and claws.

The siren turned to face them, his wings opening so he could hide the stunned human behind himself. It would take a few minutes but Bill and the rest of the crew would eventually snap out of it.

“A little far south aren’t ya?” Logan asked as he pulled himself to his feet. His statement earned a few snorts and growls but no response.

Their thick fur was plastered to their bodies by the river water accentuating the muscle in their limbs but also the points of their bones probing under their skin. They were sickly yet without the scent of disease, more than a few of them were glassy eyed with their jowls framed with little, white bubbles. Their chests heaved with every breath as if the humid jungle air was clogging their lungs. Every bit of it spoke to their displacement.

None of it made Dipper feel more confident in his chances, there had to have been a dozen of them and they were _desperate_. A word borderline synonymies with dangerous in the siren’s mind.

One of the massive beasts stepped forward with his hanging ears perked forward, panting hard as he looked back at his pack.

The creature spoke in a language Dipper couldn’t place, his voice thick and hoarse yet commanding.

Three of the healthier looking ones began to advance while the rest seemed to either be waiting or hadn’t processed the demand. Their jowls were pulled back to reveal their large teeth, snapping their jaws as they closed in.

Dipper rushed forward to keep distance between them and his mate. He stopped with only inches between them, the three adlets taking a few surprised steps back. His gaze passed between the three making sure to make eye contact with each one of them.

Logan slowly lowered himself into the stairway opening, the pistol Bill had given him was back down with the rest of his things. As long as the canines didn’t notice him he’d be able to grab it and return without risking the crew more than they already were. The nekomata let go of the ledge and ice shot through his veins as the step he landed on creaked loudly.

One of the three adlets that was facing off with Dipper looked over at the stairs, snarling before it bolted toward the opening. The siren lashed out quickly with a clawed hand to try and stop the adlet but he came up short, his hand slamming onto the deck.

The larger of the two canines still standing there lunged at Dipper’s exposed side with a snarl. A wing struck down on the adlet’s muzzle and their head slammed into the deck with a yelp. The third swiftly ducked under the siren’s outstretched wing and brought their teeth down on Dipper’s leg, digging into the scaly flesh.

Dipper curled and twisted his body to latch his claws into the beast’s massive shoulders. He could feel warmth in his fingertips as his claws dug into the other’s flesh, he bit down and the adlet let out a pained growl around their prey as the siren’s teeth grazed bone.

A gunshot and a cut off howl rang out from the hull. The pack, almost as if they were one, let out an indignant growl and several adlets rushed forward. Fear swelled in Dipper’s chest as he saw them approach in his peripheral while he was still in the adlet’s grasp.

The adlet Dipper had wing slapped brought its clawed front paws down on his shoulders, its weight bearing down on the siren pushing him into the other adlet and its jaws opened around his throat. His eyes screwed shut as he waited for those teeth, perfect for rendering meat, to slam shut on his neck. It would be a death blow, one the siren himself had inflicted many times.

There was another shot and the adlet’s teeth scuffed Dipper’s skin as the creature went slack against his back before collapsing to the deck. The adlet Dipper was on pulled hard at his leg and the siren was dragged from his position, a huge chunk of meat and fur coming off in his mouth and his claws left long lines in the canine’s flesh.

He spat the mouthful onto the deck and looked over his shoulder expecting to see Logan.

Instead there was Bill, standing in the doorway to his cabin on weak knees with a pistol in his grasp. He was quick to reload the gun but an adlet was upon him before he could get to the gunpowder. He pulled the blade from his hip and lashed out at the creature , the adlet backed away just quickly enough to receive a shallow slash across their chest instead of the deep wound Bill was aiming for.

Dipper returned his attention to the adlet he was dangling from when a sharp pain shot up his leg. The canine had snapped its jaws down again and this this time a few of its teeth sunk through the thick skin. The siren brought up his free leg to set his talons against the adlet’s throat. His talons sunk into the flesh with a hard jerk of his leg and caught on something in the canine’s throat.

The adlet dropped his leg with gargled yelp and reared back before slamming the shoulder Dipper was clinging to down to the deck. Dipper gasped sharply as he tried to reclaim the air that was knocked out of his lungs. The adlet pulled itself to its paws and stumbled a few steps before falling to the wood with a thud, blood flowing through its teeth with every breath.

Dipper rushed to his feet and paled at the sight of red bodies trying to push and shove their way down the stairs. He looked over to check on Bill, the man still in combat with the blade bearing adlet.

The siren opened his wings and with a few pumps was off into the air. He circled around the mast swiftly building up momentum, the edges of his vision blurring as he whipped past an unmoving landscape. His talons swung forward suddenly to meet the meek flesh of the adlet that was threatening Bill. Dipper’s talons curled into their cheek and shoulder.

Dipper’s wings hammered to keep him upright as the once solid creature went limp and slammed down to the deck. The canine’s neck was twisted at an unnatural angle and after a few hard jerks their limbs went slack. He snarled at the corpse under his talons before looking up to check on his mate. There was a cut on the other’s cheek, blood sliding down his skin in fat drops and his captain was breathing heavily. Dipper’s grip on the corpse tightened at the sight.

Shouting and howling rumbled up from the hull like thunder, the captain swore he could feel the deck trembling under his feet or perhaps that was just him. One voice rose above the cacophony however grabbing the attention of Dipper and Bill.

It was Leifson.

“Bill, I need you now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Guess that danger hadn't quite passed huh Dip?
> 
> Also I put together a playlist for this fic! I'm thinking of putting some together for Amalia and friends so if you want to suggest a song feel free!
> 
> https://8tracks.com/viperscreed/taking-wing-soundtrack
> 
> Adlet Fun Fact: Adlets are naturally found in arctic and tundra biomes, its rare to see them outside of that range and if you do it's usually due to them being displaced by lager, stronger packs or when a pack has gotten ambitious.


	38. Out of Hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: We've got blood, gore and amputation!

Bill shot off like a bolt of lightning throwing himself down the stairs into the ship’s hull. Dipper was hot at his heels, eyes bright and alert as they flew into the fray.

Gunpowder clouded the cramped space like smoke and seared its way down to the siren’s lungs. The dark room was intermittently lit up as bullets were fired off at snarling, fast footed opponents. Adlets bounding over hammocks and behind wooden pillars to dodge the projectiles and to land hits on the humans.

“Leifson!” Bill shouted over the noise, an adlet nearly barreling into him.

“Over here!” The doctor’s voice came from somewhere in the back toward the butcher room. Bill ran through the chaos, jumping over a toppled over chest and its strewn about contents.

Dipper followed close behind and nearly collided with his mate when the man abruptly stopped. He stepped to the side of Bill and nausea flared in his gut at the sight he was greeted with.

Leifson had Amalia pinned to the floor by her shoulders to try and suppress her writhing. Her heels were digging into the wood as she tried to push up against his grip, her skin sticky and her chest heaving with every frantic breath. The navigator’s eyes were screwed shut and her teeth gritted together to hold back the myriad of screams and curses waiting in her mouth.

Her left fist pounded on the floor and her right hand couldn’t move. Her forearm had been stripped of its meat and blood poured freely from the wound, soaking into the side of Amalia’s shirt. The now visible bones were cracked and shattered in some places, marrow seeping out to fall to the floor.

A foot away from them an adlet lay dead between two pillars, a sword had been pushed between their ribs with such force that part of the handle had disappeared into the corpse. The flesh from Amalia’s arm curled between their froth covered teeth.

“Bill!” Leifson barked and despite the authority in his tone his voice squeaked, his eyes panicked.

“Where do you need her?” Bill asked quickly coming down to perch beside the doctor, hands ready to take her shoulders.

“Help me get her in the back.” Leifson ordered letting her go so Bill could hook his arms underneath Amalia’s.

“Dipper grab her legs.” The siren was quick to follow the order, curling his arm under her knees.

“Fuck!” Amalia cursed as what was left of her arm was placed on her abdomen.

They hoisted her up and carried her the short distance into the butcher room. Leifson slammed the door shut behind them, the thick door would be their only barrier from the battle. The captain needed no direction to carry his navigator over to the table.

“What do you need?” Bill looked at the doctor, body posed to run for whatever he needed.

“A saw, something to stop the bleeding and I’m going to need you two to hold her down.” Leifson directed, lighting the lantern that hung over the table and Bill tossed him a saw before he could finish talking.

Bill ripped a small crate out from under the table, pulling a few bundles of cloth out. The fabric was coarse and not exactly clean but it would have to do for now. He threw them down on the table before lifting his knees up onto the surface.

“Dipper, her legs.” Dipper hopped up onto the table, settling over Amalia’s calves and pressed his hands firmly to her knees.

Leifson grabbed the saw, pinning Amalia’s arm by the elbow and Dipper turned his face away before the cutting began. Amalia jolted beneath him and his grip tightened as a scream tore itself from her throat. She took a swing at Bill with her intact arm and he caught her wrist just before it made contact with his cheek. They struggled for a second, her resistance died as another scream split the air and Bill pinned her arm under his knee.

A heavy thud at the door had Dipper whipping his head around to look over his shoulder. There was a low growl and the sound of claws dragging over wood that had the siren bristling. He only looked away when he heard Bill call his name.

“Dipper, grab something and take care of that, I’ve got this.” Bill ordered and Dipper nodded before flying off her legs. The captain turned his attention back to Amalia. “Amalia, I need you to calm down.”

“Fuck you!” The navigator snarled barely understanding him through the haze of pain and adrenaline. She snarled and threw her head back, knocking her skull against the wood and filling her vision with stars.

Dipper’s eyes quickly scanned the tools that hung from the walls for something he could wield. He snatched a machete from the wall, the blade was a little dull but it looked threatening and Dipper couldn’t imagine it needed a whole lot of skill to use. He clenched the handle in his fist before going to the door.

He could hear the tiny huffs of a large nose sniffing around the door. There was a few seconds of silence before a sharp thud, the door shivering from the force. Dipper took a cautious step forward, hand outstretched toward the knob.

Dipper wet his lips anxiously and barely tapped the knob before it was swinging open. The siren thrust the machete forward and a yelp rang in his ears. The beast didn’t pull away from the blade cutting into their side and instead swung a heavy arm into the siren. Dipper was sent hurling into a stack of crates, letting out a cry as he felt boards crack.

He managed to stay on his feet, leaning against the damaged crates for support. He hissed as he looked up at the adlet glowering down at him, the blade falling from their flesh to clatter to the floor. Those bright, lime orbs burned into the siren and foam dripped from their jaws in thick globs, the bubbles sparkling in the lantern light.

Amalia screamed and the adlet’s head snapped in her direction. Dipper snarled and threw himself between the table and the canine. He lashed out, his claws catching the side of the adlet’s muzzle tearing into their jowls. The adlet’s head was whipped to the side by the force of the hit, blinking a few times stunned before turning back to growl down at Dipper.

A sharp, yowling bay stopped the adlet mid lunge and the beast turned, bounding out the door. Dipper watched the adlet race to join the pack in overpowering a sailor with a rifle. The man collapsed beneath the swarm of red fur as they pushed and shoved one another to get at him. His screaming only lasted a few moments.

The members of the crew who owned pistols shot into the writhing mass and yelps rang out. The pack scattered leaving behind a pile of blood and meat.

A hand grabbed Dipper’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone I just wanted to say that I really appreciate all you guys for reading since I haven't said in a while!
> 
> Fun Adlet Fact: Despite their similarity to werewolves adlets are actually more closely related to the domestic dog!


	39. One Last Hoorah

Dipper was ripped back from where he stood in the doorway and Bill filled the space, pistol in his hands and fire in his gaze. The siren whipped around to check on Amalia, thankful to find the woman breathing if unconscious. Leifson was leaning against the table, hands trembling as he wiped away the blood on them.

“Bill, what can I do?” Dipper turned back to his mate as the man fired of a shot.

“Just stay back Pigeon, don’t want you getting grazed.” The captain ordered not looking up from his gun as he reloaded it.

“I’m not going to just stand here.” Dipper replied a growl underlying his voice. Bill sighed and looked up from his gun.

“Fine, get to my cabin, in the desk in the upper right drawer there should be a whistle ring.” Bill explained lifting his pistol and firing another shot, his aim rewarded with a loud yelp.

“Whistles?” Dipper’s brow furrowed as he tried to comprehend why Bill would want whistles of all things.

“Just trust me alright.” Dipper nodded before dropping to his claws and talons. He kept himself low to the floor as he snuck throw the doorway.

He ducked under a hammock just before a pair of boots shuffled into him. The siren swiftly padded under the row of hammocks coming to a startled stop when something heavy dropped on the hammock above him, the fabric straining under the weight. He threw himself against the pillar as the adlet twisted their body to slam their paws unto the floor, the beast’s chest convulsed and they heaved a stomach’s worth of blood onto the floor.

Dipper slinked away, careful not to brush against the adlet while the beast recovered. The clicking of his claws against the wood as he picked up speed was drowned out by the fighting around him. The anxious knot in his chest started to unfurl as he came to the end of the row, once he was up the stairs he’d be safe.

“You!”

Dipper froze at the snarled word and within seconds the barrel of a pistol was in his face. The siren swallowed thickly and his brown eyes traced up the weapon to find the face of the person behind the trigger.

Daryl scowled down at him, blood splattered across his face and his chest heaving. The fabric of his grey shirt had three long slashes across the abdomen and blood from his wounds had stained almost the entirety of his front. His thumb dragged the hammer back until it clacked into placed.

“Daryl don’t.” Dipper raised a hand defensively. The man let out a raspy laugh and his pistol didn’t budge from its place.

“It’s too late to argue your case bird.” He growled and pushed his weapon forward.

Dipper screwed his eyes shut at he felt the warm metal of the pistol’s barrel press against his forehead.

“Drop it McGill.”

A pistol came to rest against Daryl’s temple and the man tilted his head to see Logan staring at him through narrowed eyes. The human looked between the two and snorted.

“Didn’t think you beasts watched out for each other.” He jabbed and a growl rumbled behind Logan’s teeth.

“We can deal with your bullshit some other time boy but we’ve got bigger problems to deal with.” Logan snapped and gestured to chaos around them.

“Good thing this problem won’t take much time to deal with then huh?” Daryl smirked and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud crack as the bullet buried itself in the floor. Daryl pulled his eyes away from the feline to stare at the empty space in front of him in confusion. His gaze quickly returned to Logan when he heard a small huff of a laugh and the gun was removed from his head.

“I suppose we can focus on that bigger problem now huh?” Logan’s snark pulled a growl out of Daryl.

<> 

Dipper stood upright once he reached the top of the stairs and threw a glance over his shoulder, catching glances of the battle downstairs. He shuddered before walking away toward Bill’s cabin, leaving a thin cloud of gunpowder in his wake.

He pulled open the door and fluttered across the room to the desk. He pulled open the upper right drawer as Bill had instructed and groaned. The drawer was filled to bursting with miscellaneous junk that he’d have to dig through. The experimentally tugged on the drawer and much to his annoyance found that it couldn’t be pulled out of the desk. Dipper raked his claws through all the little trinkets until he heard the jingle of metal.

Dipper pulled out a metal ring lined with whistles that ranged from long and thin to short and round, the little things made from all kinds of materials. He didn’t take any time to marvel at the craftsmanship and slid the ring around his wrist. The siren rushed out of the cabin through the open door leaving it wide open. He paused at the stairway and took a deep breath before dropping down into the darkness. He followed the same path back to Bill dodging the blood puddle left behind by the adlet.

“You alright?” Bill asked as the siren came to stand beside him.

“Yeah I’m fine.” Dipper would hold off on telling him about Daryl until after they were safe again. He slid the ring off his wrist and handed it to his mate.

Bill took the ring and quickly shifted through the whistles until he singled out a slender whistle forged from silver. There were engravings along the side of the whistle that Dipper couldn’t read.

“You might want to cover your ears.” Bill told Dipper sure the siren’s sensitive hearing wouldn’t appreciate this. Dipper’s brow furrowed but he covered his ears as the captain took a deep breath.

Through his hands Dipper could hear the shrill squeal of the whistle and he shrank away from Bill. He tore his eyes away from the man to look into hull when he heard pained howls.

Some adlets were frozen halfway through their movements, muscles tensed and eyes wide while others had wilted to the floor to paw at there their ears. Those on the floor whined and yelped as they tried to drive the sound out of their ears.

The crew lifted their weapons and there was a final wave of bullets before everything fell silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this a little later then usual, it's my grandma's birthday today! And for those unaware or new I try to update at 2PM CT though sometimes I'll update as early 10 AM if my schedule demands it
> 
> Also next month this might go on a bit of a hiatus because A) Birthday Month! B) I might try to attempt Nanowrimo, now that doesn't necessarily mean I won't update at all it just means it this won't be my top priority for a little while!
> 
> Fun Height Fact: Dipper stands at 5'8'' making him a little runty for his species! Bill stands at 5'3'' making him the shortest person on the ship!


	40. Finding Comfort in None at All

It was a victory but not a one of them wanted to celebrate. After all the adlets had fallen they allowed themselves a few minutes to rest and breath. The unpleasant business that they would have to attend to hung over everyone’s head and no one wanted to be the first to start.

“Who did we lose?” Bill asked the deathly silent room, having trouble making out their faces in the dim light.

“Garret.” A voice mumbled in response.

“Shit.” Bill cursed under his breath. Amalia was going to be pissed when she found out her favorite gambling buddy was dead probably even more pissed then when she realizes she’s missing an arm.

Silence fell over them all again as they still didn’t want to address the mess they were surrounded by, didn’t want to address all the bodies that needed to be moved.

“Does anyone need Leifson?” Bill’s voice rose up again. He only got grunts in reply which hopefully meant no one needed him immediately. He turned slightly to address the shaken doctor. “I need you out here.”

“I-I need my bag and a-a lantern.” Leifson stammered staring critically at his hands trying to force them to still.

“Get whatever you need just be quick.” Bill replied and turned away from the doctor to face the room again, leaning on the doorframe.

Leifson grabbed a lantern from under the table and lit it. He passed his captain and tried not to gag at the sight before him. There was blood everywhere with scraps of red fur and flesh mixed in. He stepped lightly as he made his way to where he kept his supplies stored.

“Bill do you need me to do anything?” Dipper’s voice had a comforting effect on the captain.

“Just stand here with me for a bit.” Bill reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around the siren’s wrist. Dipper stepped toward the captain and brought up his free hand to encircle his elbow, his thumb rubbing the back of his arm.

The silence befell them again. The lack of sound made Dipper anxious at a primal level but he caged the emotions away and focused on his mate. He leaned down to press his forehead to Bill’s temple and the pirate closed his eyes before turning his head to face Dipper.

“I could start cleaning if you wanted.” Dipper offered softly after a long moment. Bill didn’t respond right away instead sighing deeply.

“Yeah.” He agreed softly, reluctantly letting the siren go. “There’s some straps on the wall that should help.”

Dipper nodded and ran a hand over Bill’s shoulders before moving away.

He quickly found the broad strips of leather hanging from an iron nail. Dipper slid it off its perch and inspected the looped leather for a moment before heading to the door.

Dipper received a few grateful glances as he walked to the adlet body closest to the stairs. He lifted the creature’s heavy head and slid the loop around their neck, the leather tightening against the fur as he grabbed the handle. He hauled the carcass up the step and over to the railing. He let out strained grunts as he pushed the corpse up onto it. The siren slipped the strap off before pushing the corpse over.

The adlet landed with a large splash, blood bloomed in the brown water and there was sudden, frantic movement beneath the water. Dipper shuddered at the sight before turning back to the stairs to bring up the next corpse.

He’d bring up three more and the sun would peek over the horizon before any of the crew found the will to help. The corpses were made quick work off, a growing school of predatory fish trailed along the ship all too happy to dispose of the evidence for the crew.

Dipper took to sitting on the steps up to the helm after a while, his skin shiny with sweat and a yawn had him showing off the rows of teeth in his mouth. The adrenaline had worn off quite a while ago and the siren had crashed hard, everyone had.

His eyes, which he hadn’t realized had closed, snapped open when someone flopped down beside him. He quickly realized it was Amalia and straightened up.

“Hey, how are you?” He inquired though he could easily see how she was doing. She looked exhausted, her crow’s feet more visible then ever and her brow furrowed together in frustration.

“Oh don’t start with that.” She replied, she had intended to snap at him but it came out more of a defeated groan. “I’m fine.”

“Will you be though?” He probed farther, trying to be gentle. If she had been a siren he would have known she would’ve been fine, a lost arm, if they survived the bleeding, wouldn’t be a life threatening injury a lost wing or leg was a different story however.

“I’ll be fine.” Amalia responded clearly getting frustrated with his fussing. Unlike Bill who had eagerly reached out to Dipper for comfort she carefully kept her body to herself, not allowing her knee or shoulder to even brush the siren.

Dipper nodded taking the hint.

“They won’t let me help.” She all but growled glaring at nothing as her crewmates continued to clean.

“They probably just want you to heal first.” Dipper offered taking a glance at her arm, she had new bandages on what was left of the limb and she smelt of something the siren couldn’t place but it cut against his senses like a knife. She snorted at his response, not that she doubted him but the pity she was seeing in her crewmates eyes was setting her teeth on edge more than the pain coursing through her body.

“I can’t exactly heal from this.” She retorted now glaring down at what was left of her arm. Dipper just shrugged.

“You will.” He assured her and he sounded so certain about it, not in the determined way of someone trying to convince her but merely in a tone that suggested he knew it would happen. She looked up at him, her face free of anger for the moment, as he watched the crew, wondering if he should start helping again.

Amalia considered the siren for that moment, the scars he had gained while with them, the ones he had had before and the fearlessness with which he faced the obstacles that had gotten in their way. The navigator supposed one had to build that kind of resolve when you only had your skin between you and the elements. She realized her wound was probably not first of its kind he had seen and that he had probably seen things much worse.

Her knee bumped his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Amalia is like a human alley cat, tough, adaptable and doesn't know how to accept comfort
> 
> Siren Fun Fact:For a predatory sirens a lost wing or leg is usually considered a life ending injury even if they survive losing the limb and to lose a back toe is considered life threatening as without it the siren will struggle to hold onto prey.
> 
> Non-predatory sirens however can live very long lives after injuries like these though they're more likely to be targeted by predators and will be less able to escape.


	41. Just Loose It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick! Bill gives a certain someone a bit of a beating this chapter and he gets kinda into it so yeah

“Pidgeon, I swear to god if you’re moping…” Bill started but left his threat vague as he really had no idea what he would do since the siren was already doing a pretty decent job of punishing himself.

“Sorry… are you sure that there’s nothing else I can do to help?” Dipper stood to meet Bill at the doorway of his cabin.

“You’ve done all you can, just relax.” The siren wasn’t happy with that answer but he didn’t push it. A soft, weak purr rumbled in his throat as hands came up to cup his face. His eyes fell shut and he leaned into his mate’s touch.

Bill had tried to be reasonable with the siren, tried to remind him that it was him that gave Dipper the okay to sing to the crew so it had been his fault that they hadn’t been ready to fight but the siren took to guilt like a fish to water.

“We’re going to camp on the shore, no one wants to sleep on the ship tonight.” Bill informed him and Dipper’s eyes opened. All the body’s had been removed and the blood had been mopped away however the hull now smelt thickly of copper and disinfectant.

“I could carry stuff down.” Dipper offered and Bill sighed softly.

“Alright but I don’t want to hear about how you’re sore in the morning.” Bill joked though it sounded flat even to his own ears.

“Not a word.” Dipper agreed and leaned down to give the man a quick nuzzle before moving past him to go help.

He trotted out onto the deck where the crew was gathering up everything they’d need for a night on the shore. Dipper quickly spotted Logan, the feline was taking inventory of a few crates and the siren quickly approached him for direction.

“Hey, what can I do?” Dipper asked and Logan lifted his tired, amber gaze to him.

“Once we’re anchored I’ll have ya fly stuff down.” Logan told him after a beat of silence.

“I could fly stuff down now.” Dipper offered shifting his weight anxiously. Logan reached out to place a hand on his shoulder to keep the siren still.

“Hold your horses for a minute, we don’t even know where we’re goin’ to land.” The elder told him before retracting his hand, Dipper nodded.

“Anything I can do in the meantime?” The siren asked wanting to feel useful.

“Ya can calm down, you look about ready to pull your feathers out.”

Dipper was forced to be ‘calm’ for around half an hour before the ship was anchored and he was allowed to starting flying stuff down to the shore.  He took a burlap sack into his arms and wrapped his talons around a bundle of tent poles.

He stretched out his wings, rotating his shoulder blades before taking a few wingbeats to take off from the deck. It was a quick glide from the deck down to the shore, sand was kicked up by his wings as he landed. He left the bundle where he landed and set the sack down beside them.

Dipper flew back up as the crew dropped the gangplank.

<> 

Bill watched over his crew as they set up their tents and prepared a fire for the night. His gaze locked with a pair of dark brown ones and he bristled. The eyes narrowed at him and the captain jerked his head in the direction of the tree line before he slinked off into the jungle.

He leaned against the trunk of a monstrous stump that was nearly as tall as he was, the bark softened with thick moss. Bill didn’t have to wait long before the other man appeared, glaring at the bits of nature that pulled at his pant legs.

“So Daryl, Dipper had something pretty interesting to tell me.” Bill stated and when the other man just crossed his arms continued. “Told me you tried to shoot him last night.”

“Cause I did try, would’ve done it to if your cat hadn’t have gotten in the way.” Daryl sneered.

Bill’s blood broiled deep in his belly and his anger manifested in a grin that split his face. His palms pressed together and he wrung his hands together.

“Do you any idea how much worse that fight could’ve gone if Dipper hadn’t there?” Bill growled, his voice low almost purring as he pushed of the stump.

“We would’ve been fine.” Daryl bit out squaring up his shoulders as the shorter man approached him.

“One of my men is dead Daryl and my navigator is short an arm, you call that fine?” Bill snapped and the other man opened his mouth to retort but couldn’t find the words before Bill’s fist connected with his face.

Daryl stumbled back from the hit and tripped over a vine, landing him flat on his ass in a bush. He cursed, a hand flying up to cradle his throbbing jaw as his captain stalked over to him. The shorter man loomed over him cracking the knuckles on the hand he just struck him with.

“I like being nice Daryl, I really do but you’re making it really hard.” Bill chuckled glowering down at the man, his skin dappled by the light shining through the leaves.

Daryl spat beside him splattering the plants there with a mixture of blood and saliva before fixing the captain with a glare of his own.

“Gonna be like that huh?” The sailor growled before pushing up on his hands intent on getting to his feet again.

Before Daryl could his feet flat on the ground the heel of a boot collided with his chest sending him back into the foliage and knocking the air out of his lungs. Daryl tried to push himself up but a weight landed on his chest, his elbows pinned underneath bony knees.

“Oh no, I gave you you’re chance at a fair fight.” Bill’s tone was dangerously low as he leaned over the other man. He pulled his arm back, his other hand planted on the ground to steady himself as he brought his fist down on Daryl, the man’s head snapping to the side.

“But you had to keep pushing!” Bill cackled as he brought his fist down again, no bothering to switch up sides. There was a sickening crack as he hit the same spot.

“Couldn’t have minded your own business for a couple of months could ya?” The captain’s balled up hand bounced off the sailor’s face, his own shoulder’s shaking from the effort and his ears buzzing with rage fueled adrenaline. Not that it mattered much, all of Daryl’s insults and yells were cut short.

“Cipher!”

Bill paused his arm reeled back and he looked over to see Logan standing among the trees. The captain looked between Logan and the man beneath him before offering the feline a grin.

“Want a turn Loggie?” Bill chuckled and Logan sneered at the nickname, ears tilting backward.

The nekomata marched through the space between them and grabbed Bill’s arm to haul the man to his feet. Adrenaline and anger were a cocktail that did things to Bill worse than any alcohol could and Logan wasn’t about to let the captain of his ship do something he’d regret.

“There’s a pond over that way, get cleaned up before you head back.” Logan instructed and Bill looked down at himself. His hand and forearm was covered in blood and if the pushed up skin on his knuckles was any indication it wasn’t all Daryl’s.

“Ah come on-“ Bill was cut off by Logan shoving toward the supposed pond.

“Go on, git… Dipper’s waitin’ for ya.” Logan told him and Bill’s grin faltered at that. The captain didn’t object further just turned away and stumbled off in the direction Logan had pushed him.

Once Logan was sure his captain was doing what he was told he looked down at Daryl who was looking up at him with bewildered eyes. Logan’s lip curled over his teeth.

“Don’t look at me like I did that for ya.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Logan is stone cold man
> 
> Fun Bill Fact: As mentioned quite a few chapters again Bill has tested his compatibility with magic, he went with one of the better known methods of swallowing large quantities of magical minerals. This method is usually successful... if you survive its high fatality rate.
> 
> As you can guess Bill survived but it failed, there may have been some other consequences as well.


	42. Let That Fire Burn

Dipper watched the river slide by, the thick, brown water’s surface flat save for where it had to split around the ship. He thought he should go fishing but decided against it, most of the fish in this part of the river would probably be fat on adlet.

His gaze was pulled away from the river when he heard the foliage behind him rustle violently. He turned round just in time to recognize Bill stalking towards before a hand grabbed the back of his neck and he pulled down into a lip crushing kiss. The siren’s hands slid up to grab Bill’s shoulders and pull him closer.

Dipper froze however, eyes snapping open when a tongue pushed its way past his lips. The soft, warm invader traced his serrated teeth and he did everything he could not to move, not wanting to cut his mate. Bill pulled away and Dipper couldn’t help by run his tongue over his teeth, retracing Bill’s path.

The captain moved out of Dipper’s grasp and flashed the stunned siren a grin.

“I’m going to get my rifle then we’re going to hunt something.” Bill told him and Dipper nodded, not able to find his voice.

Dipper watched him walk away, trying to get his breathing back to normal while simultaneously willing his legs not to drop him.

<> 

Not a single bit of hunting took place.

Well, there was a bit of stalking, crouching and pouncing but that didn’t end up getting a lot of hunting done either.

The pair lay in the lush jungle foliage, Bill comfortably cradled in the siren’s arm while Dipper laved the new bite marks on his shoulder with apologetic licks. Perhaps it was the afterglow buzz but the wing lying over Bill felt like heaven, the feathers were so soft and the warmth contrasted nicely with the cool leaves beneath him.

He idly listened to Dipper’s mumbling, the captain had tuned him out a while ago when he realized most of what he was saying was apologies for nipping him. Something caught his attention however and he glanced over his shoulder.

“What did you call me?” He asked and Dipper went stone still, the siren had kinda been taking advantage of the fact Bill wasn’t listening to him.

“N-nothing.” Dipper stammered and tried to go back to licking him mate’s wounds but Bill turned so they were facing one another.

“No, you called me something, I wanna know what it was.” Bill insisted and his dastardly finger skated over Dipper’s chest, creating little invisible designs on his skin. Dipper swallowed thickly, his face bright red and the blush spreading.

“My little sun.” He admitted almost as if he was guilty.

“Your little sun?” Bill tilted his head, a grinning pulling at his lips. Dipper nuzzled into the captain’s jawline apparently too embarrassed to meet his gaze. “Where did you get a name like that?”

“You remind me of fire.” Dipper explained into his mate’s dark skin. “Brilliant and powerful.”

Bill nearly purred at Dipper’s words, his ego thoroughly stroked. He turned his head to press a kiss to Dipper’s temple while his hand slid up to cup the side of his neck, his thumb gently stroking his skin.

“Oh Pigeon, that’s so sweet.” The captain said and chuckled lightly as the arm around his waist pulled him closer. The siren nosed against his throat, a purr rumbling gently in his throat and his rough palms sliding along Bill’s skin. Bill’s fingers lightly brushed over Dipper’s shoulder, following the sprinkling of his freckles before shifting forward so his chest was flush against Dipper’s.

Bill suddenly hissed and Dipper retracted from him with wide, worried eyes.

“Are you alright?” The siren asked eyes immediately going to the little marks in Bill’s shoulder.

“Yeah, just wasn’t watching were I put my hand.” Bill replied pulling his injured hand up to his chest and away from the leaves that had brushed his swollen, red knuckles. Dipper’s eyes went even wider as he looked at the bruised skin.

“Bill, how did this happen?” Dipper inquired gingerly taking Bill’s fingers in his own.

“Don’t worry about it Pigeon.” Bill tried to dismiss the siren’s worry and leaned up to kiss him but Dipper didn’t give in.

“This looks like something I should be worried about.” Dipper insisted, a growl underlying his tone and Bill sighed.

“I had a little talk with Daryl that’s all.” Bill admitted and Dipper looked up at him surprised.

“Did he touch you?” Dipper demanded the growl growing louder.

“Didn’t give him a chance.” Bill chuckled, warmth blooming in his chest at Dipper’s protective tone. The growl left the siren’s throat and he considered Bill for a second.

“And your hand looks like this because of how hard you hit him?”

“Yes.”

A hand grabbed Bill’s shoulder to pin him to the forest floor. The siren growled lowly as he loomed over him, his eyes dark and hungry while he took in his mate. Bill met the predator’s gaze with a sharp grin just as ready to devour Dipper as the siren was him.

<> 

The crew camped out on the shore for a few days longer then they intended, waiting until the smell of blood and gunpowder was washed from the hull. The other’s had been quick to notice Daryl’s bruised face but when he refused to talk about it, they refused to press but they didn’t have to think hard to guess how that happened.

No one spoke of Garret, even Amalia seemed content to leave his memory alone that or everyone kept the grief internal. After the fight the man’s things had been carefully tucked away at the head of his hammock between two beams and the wall were it wouldn’t slide around while the ship moved.

Bill watched as his men hauled their things back onto the ship, much calmer then he had been a few days ago. His body and mind felt somberly refreshed, like scorched earth that had been doused in cool rain. He looked over at Dipper, the siren standing silently beside him and Dipper feeling eyes on him looked back at the captain.

The siren offered him a gentle smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Gotta burn off all that adrenaline man
> 
> So nanowrimo doesn't start til friday so I'll get another chapter for you guys next week by the time I post that I'll be full nanowrimo mode! So this will be going on a bit of a hiatus til that's over, speaking of which I'm going to be writing a fluffy romance that's super kink-centric so if you want to yell with me about it feel free to drop a message in my tumblr inbox!
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Since Dipper's species can't digest most sugars or eat any plant types they don't really have terms like 'sweetheart' so most pet names you'll hear them use are inspired by celestial bodies or elements!


	43. Chronic

The days slide past in solemn quiet as everyone readjusted to being on the ship after the fight. There was no mention of mutiny as far as Bill could tell, any need to overthrow the ship had been quelled by the adlets’ own attempt. The captain stayed in his cabin most of the time regardless, caught up in his own thoughts and nursing his now bandaged, on Leifson’s insistence, hand.

Dipper hadn’t left Bill’s side since he learned of his ‘talk’ with Daryl but had managed to get his nest finished. The siren griped that it wasn’t quite right, that it needed more twigs weaved in and bedding added to the bottom but silenced when Bill suggested he go get those things.

Dipper lay in his nest with his head resting on his arms, his light snores floating through the cabin. Bill cast him a glance from his place behind the desk, a small smile pulling at his lips as he couldn’t quite shake the image of a loyal dog curled up on a rug.

That image only strengthened when a knock at the door had Dipper’s head shooting up, ear featherings erect and eyes alert.

“Come in.” Bill called suppressing a chuckle.

Leifson appeared in the doorway, ringing his hands together as he entered to try and control their trembling. Bill sat up straight as the misty eyed doctor approached him.

“I wanted t-to talk to you about Amalia’s condition.” Leifson explained his presence as he came to stand before his captain’s desk.

“She was doing fine last time I saw her.” Bill replied, she hadn’t completely healed but with how much Leifson was fussing over her he doubted her physical condition was deteriorating.

“The wound itself is doing fine but she’s been complaining of pain from her shoulder d-down her side and,” Leifson paused to run a hand through sun bleached brown hair. “I-I think I gave her clausalgia.”

“What?”

“It’s a pain syndrome, I’ve been giving her what I can for the discomfort and once there isn’t any risk of the stitches reopening I can get her started on some exercises but I think it would be best if she started living somewhere a lot… drier than a ship as soon as possible.” Leifson swallowed thickly.

“Leifson, you know if she heard you say that she’d hang you from the highest mast right?” Bill asked knowing the woman as well as he did he could guess she’d swallow a barrel of pills everyday rather than give up the ship.

“I know.” The younger man responded and Bill could hear the guilt ridden ‘I’d deserve it’ without him actually saying it. The captain shook his head, sighing softly.

“Are you sure, it hasn’t been that long since the attack she’s probably just still sore.” Bill tried to sooth the surgeon. “She lost half of her arm after all.”

Leifson was silent for a long moment, eyes staring at nothing in particular on Bill’s desk as he tried to straighten out his thoughts.

“I told you I wasn’t qualified.”

“Leifson.” Bill’s tone was biting and full of warning.  He sighed and his expression softened before he continued. “You saved her life.”

“And now I might have ruined it.” Leifson shot back and he started pacing. He was stopped abruptly when a clawed hand gently rested on his arm.

“Amalia is going to be fine.” The siren assured him with his calm certainty.

“That she will, why don’t you give a bit more time?” Bill supplied and the doctor looked between the two.

“You’re… you’re right.” Leifson admitted with a sigh, his shoulders going slack.

“Have you told her about this?” Bill inquired and Leifson looked away guiltily.

“S-she’d hang me from the highest mast if I did.” He admitted with a small, nervous laugh.

“You need to bring this up with her, she’s your patient after all.” Bill chided the man though there wasn’t much nip to his words. Leifson swallowed thickly and worried his lower lip between his teeth.

“I will.” He said though he wasn’t sure how he would bring it up to the navigator.

<> 

The doctor carefully stepped down the stairs, eyes scanning the hull for Amalia. Leifson’s hands were tucked into the pockets of his slacks though his face exposed all the nervousness he felt. He heard her voice and froze, his eyes quickly picking her out.

She was leaning against a beam, talking to a crewmate. Her hazel eyes caught sight of Leifson over the other man’s shoulder and grinned at him.

“Leifson, my boy, come ‘ere I want to ask you something!” She called out to him, waving him over with her hand.

Leifson just smiled in response and trotted down the last few steps, he gave the other man a nod as he came to stand beside them. The other man, black haired and probably a few years older than the doctor, returned the nod with slight smile.

“So I was thinking next time we hit port I’ll get a hook arm, what do ya think?” Amalia inquired watching Leifson expectantly.

“A hook arm?” Leifson’s brows drew together in confusion.

“Yeah, like in the stories were the pirates have a hook for a hand except longer.” She explained her vision to him.

“You don’t want a regular prosthetic?” He asked, he knew the things the medical field had to offer weren’t the prettiest things but he thought they’d be better than a hook.

“Thought about it but I think it’d just get in the way.” Amalia said, she wasn’t as familiar with prosthetics as the doctor but the few she had seen always looked so bulky and heavy which were two traits that just wouldn’t fit with her job.

“Right, Amalia can I talk to you for a moment?” Leifson asked and the navigator cocked her head a bit.

“Sure, Charles I’ll chat you up later.” She told the man she had been speaking with. Charles grumbled something noncommittal before walking away, giving them what little privacy he could in the hull. Amalia turned to Leifson waiting for him to continue.

“Have… have you thought about retiring, you know moving back to the mainland and all that?” He asked trying to pick his words carefully. Amalia’s expression hardened and her lips formed a stern line as she took in his question.

“No, why uh… why would I?” She asked him and moved to cross her arms over her chest. She grumbled when she realized she couldn’t and settled instead for tucking her hand under her arm. Amalia hissed under her breath as her hand brushed over her sensitive ribs.

“T-there’s a chance the pain you’ve been dealing with might become a chronic issue.” Leifson admitted and yelped when Amalia’s hand shot out to grip the fabric over his shoulder, pulling him closer.

“A chronic issue?” Her voice dropped drastically in volume.

“Y-yes.” Leifson replied not sure what she wanted him to say.

“What do I have to do, to make it go away.” Amalia demanded, her eyes hard and determined.

“I can put you on a regime of medicine and exercises but it can’t be cured that why I think you should consider retiring somewhere warm and dry cause it’ll only get worse if it doesn’t go away.” The doctor babbled and he could feel her grip tighten on the cloth of his coat.

“Then I’ll get worse on this ship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey everyone as I said this will be the last update until I'm done with my nanowrimo ride, see you all on the other side!
> 
> Clausalgia nowadays is called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS for short and occasionally it develops after a surgery or injury and is more likely to develop in smokers then nonsmokers.
> 
> Amalia Fun Fact: Her name literally means 'work' and true to it she is a workaholic who enjoys physically and/or mentally taxing labor.


	44. Lulla-bye-bye

The night was darker than most, the usually bright moon was now waning and wispy clouds blocked out most of the crescent. The chirps of insects where a constant ambient noise occasionally joined by the chorus of a crying bird or a splash from the river. Everything was alive and it its proper place even while the ship sloshed through the river, weariness in its sun bleached sails and grief in its hull. The ship powered on intent on reaching the end of this river regardless of if it got there with its whole crew or not.

There was even less light in the captain’s cabin, the space engulfed in darkness that Bill had thought would lull his ever active mind to sleep but instead it just provided a canvas for his brain to broadcast images on. The captain felt his knuckles throb and the memories of how his hand had gotten that way played through his head. He wasn’t going to lie, not to himself or anyone else, he had enjoyed knocking Daryl down and had it not been for Logan he probably would’ve broken ahis hand on the other’s face. The knowledge that it had only gone that far because he had lost it however dampened the feeling, he remembered sitting in his head as his body threw itself at Daryl unable to make himself slow down or soften his punches.

A heavy sigh ghosted through Bill’s lips, he didn’t like himself when he was like that.

Bill tilted his head to look in the general direction of Dipper’s sleeping form, his vision having adjusted to the darkness he could make out the line of the siren’s wings gently rising and falling with his breathing. The captain decided the next time they were port he would have to look into getting a proper bed that could accommodate both him and the siren. He always slept well when the other was nearby. His fingers itched a bit remembering how soft those feathers were and longing to touch them.

Instead he reached up and rubbed his eyes, the lids were heavy and the edges sore but he couldn’t bring himself to sleep. He didn’t feel right, hadn’t all evening as if something heavy without clear intentions had perched on his shoulders. It kept him just enough on edge that his body couldn’t rest everything too coiled waiting for that heavy something to act.

Everything froze when the doorknob jiggled. Every muscle in Bill’s body tightened when there was no call for his name as was usual when someone wanted something from him. He was about to hop to his feet when the door opened and he went still, his breathing carefully controlled. He tried to make out the figure that slipped into his cabin but they melted into the darkness too quickly for his sight.

On the desk that sat between him and the figure Bill had left his pistol having been inspecting it for damage before deciding to try and sleep. He considered getting up and making a run for the weapon but the desk sat closer to the door and he didn’t want to be left clambering for the weapon in the dark.

A wispy cloud was pushed out of the moon’s way by a stiff breeze allowing more light to filter into the cabin. Bill’s blood ran cold when he saw the shimmer of a silver blade and the figure seemed to have a similar response as they caught the glint of gold off Bill’s eye.

The figure lunged at the captain and Bill reacted quickly, flipping out of the hammock and dodging a swing from a muscular arm as he scrambled for his desk. Papers flew as Bill’s hand swiped over the desk to find his gun before whirling around to point the barrel at the figure. A large hand grabbed the barrel and twisted it so it pointed to the far wall. The blade quickly flew towards Bill and the man took one hand off his gun to slam the side of his fist into the figure’s wrist causing their arm to bounce back, the blade could soon be heard clattering against the floor.

The pistol was torn from Bill’s hand and there was thud as it was sent to the floor. It was a moment later that Bill felt calloused hands encircle his throat, fingers digging roughly into his skin. Bill’s back hit his desk as his hands shot up to scratch and pry at the fingers restricting his breathing.

A hiss broke through the ringing in the captain’s ears before the figure was ripped away from him. There was a loud thunk as the figure hit the wall followed by a snarl and the flutter of wings. Dipper gave a low hiss as he stayed perched on his now subdued target.

The feathers around Dipper’s ears twitched as a match was struck and his pupils shrank as more light entered the room. He took in the bruised face of the man pinned beneath him and his lips pulled over his serrated teeth as he snarled, of course it was Daryl. The arrogant prick had the gall to come into his den, attack his mate, his little sun, after already causing him so much strife and it took everything in the siren to not end him in that moment.

Dipper glanced back at Bill to see the man leaning with one hand on the desk, the candle in front of him flickering gently. Bill was still lightly panting trying to regain his breath after being strangled.

“Your word.” The siren’s tone was low burying a hiss.

“What?” Bill pulled his gaze away from Daryl to meet Dipper’s serious, burning eyes.

“I said I wouldn’t hurt a member of your flock without your word so I’m asking for your word.” Dipper clarified watching his mate’s face intently. Bill was silent for a long moment letting the weight of Dipper’s words settle in his mind.

“You have my word.” As the words left his lips he felt as if a shadow was being cast over him, the shadow of a massive man with yellowing eyes.

“Wai-“ Daryl’s protest was cut off by Dipper forcing his head back before sinking teeth into his throat. The man convulsed as blood gushed forth from the open cavity in his neck. Dipper pulled off the man and spat out the meat in his mouth like it was sour.

Bill watched the other man writhe on the floor of his cabin as Dipper stalked up to him. Without shifting his gaze Bill reached up to cup Dipper’s cheek, his thumb gently rubbing his skin and just missing the blood that was splattered over his face. The siren leaned into the touch, his eyes falling closed as he hooked his hands in his mate’s elbow, a low purr rumbling in his chest.

“We need to clean up this mess.” Bill mumbled once Daryl was still and glassy eyed. Dipper huffed softly before he spoke.

“He’s not going anywhere.” The siren reasoned then went in for a kiss only to be stopped by Bill’s hand coming up to cover his mouth. Bill laughed lightly at the disgruntled stare he was met with.

“You need to wash your face first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Aye I'm back! Coming back to this after a month almost feels like writing it for the first time ^v^ Anyway I hope finally handling this butthole was worth the wait
> 
>  
> 
> Jacqueline History: Mr. Reid, the captain before Bill, was rumored to have killed upwards of thirty members of his own crew in the ten years he owned the ship.


	45. History

Between the siren and the man they made quick work of the corpse they had made tossing him overboard and rewarding the fish that still trailed underneath the ship from their battle with the adlets. The gaping hole in in Daryl’s throat had allowed a substantial amount of blood to spill onto the deck as the wound hadn’t come close to clotting. Bill fetched a bucket and handed it off to Dipper before the siren glided down to the riverbed to wash the blood from his face and skin.

“His pals aren’t gonna like that.”

Bill jumped a bit at the sudden voice and looked up to see Amalia leaning over the helm railing. The woman wore a thin blanket, the coarse fabric wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Strange for a woman who often complained of being too warm.

“And I’m sure as long as I have a siren by my side they won’t have much to say about it either.” He stated, a touch of pride in his voice. Amalia snorted but didn’t disagree, they might have been asses but they weren’t all complete idiots.

“’Bill Cipher the Siren Tamer’ has a nice ring to it, maybe people will actually remember your name now.” She teased him pleased by the scoff she received.

“People remember my name just fine.” He replied defensively though he couldn’t deny part of his scoff had been at the word ‘tamer’. Dipper was hardly anything near tame if his recent show of raw power was anything to go by, he was certainly loyal but not tame. Bill wouldn’t have it any other way if he was honest, he couldn’t imagine Dipper as a tamed beast with tempered instincts.

“But really Bill, I think this might be what history remembers you for.” Amalia told him, it had been a thought that had made a permanent place in her musings as it became clearer that Dipper wasn’t going to be leaving the ship. Bill was silent for a long moment, he hadn’t considered that.

“I suppose it will make an interesting story.” He agreed. Cautionary tales of sailors being seduced by mythical beasts to their death were told by the hundreds but he had never heard of the two intermingling like he and Dipper were doing.

“What are you two on about?” Dipper’s voice broke Bill from his thoughts as the siren landed on the deck. He set the bucket, now full with water from the river, down before he approached Bill.

“Just about how good our relationship will be for my reputation.” Bill replied and a small spark shot through him as a soft purr rumbled in Dipper’s chest.

“Well, I am flattered you think that highly of me.” The siren purred as his clawed hands encircled the captain’s waist. He pulled the other close to claim the kiss he had wanted earlier. Bill happily returned the affection with his hands sliding up to hold the other’s face, there was a metallic taste on the siren’s lips but the captain easily ignored it.

“Hey, you two got a mess to clean up.” Amalia called down to them and they pulled out of the kiss to look up at her, Bill annoyed and Dipper bashful.

“Fine, fine, come on Pigeon.” Bill huffed moving out of the other’s embrace to go find a mop.

<> 

After the mess was cleaned up Bill found himself walking up the steps to the helm. The dirty part of the work was over but now came the messy part of dealing with how Daryl’s companions would respond and he wanted to bounce ideas off the older woman.

But she spoke before he could utter a word.

“I’m sorry.”

Bill paused a few steps away from her and looked her over with a confused gaze.

“For what?” He inquired and he looked at her as she stared down at the wheel.

“I could’ve stopped him if I had been paying more attention.” She replied and Bill shook his head.

“Amalia, you can barely see the stairway from up, Daryl probably knew that and besides he was twice your size ant had a knife what would you have down to stop him?” Bill shot back and Amalia glared up at him for a moment before pointing her hard gaze at the wheel.

“I’ve killed a man before Bill, I could’ve done a lot.” She snapped and out of the corner of her vision she could see her captain bristling at her tone. “He could’ve killed you.”

“Everything worked out fine and I don’t want to see you beating yourself up over something that didn’t happen, that’s an order.” He stated firmly. Dipper had just stopped trying to work himself to death because of his guilt and Bill would not have something similar from his navigator.

Amalia itched to snap at him again, to argue that she could have done plenty and that just because she was injured didn’t mean she couldn’t protect her captain but after a handful of seconds her tense shoulders slacked. She was too tired and sore to have an argument now. The blanket around her was stifling despite hanging off her shoulders.

“Well if you didn’t come up for an apology what do you need?” She asked content to let their argument drop.

“I’m planning to tell the crew about what went down with Daryl.” He began before Amalia cut in.

“What happened to them staying quiet since you have a siren?” Amalia inquired, her captain had sounded quite confident earlier.

“Having a siren didn’t keep Daryl quiet, I want to do a show of power to remind them what Dipper is capable of.” The captain explained. He didn’t like it, feeling like he was using his lover and having to stand behind someone else’s power to control his crew didn’t settle well with him but it would only be until they reached port and got rid of anyone who might be treacherous.

“Clever.” Amalia replied voice low as if she thought someone might overhear them. “How do you intend to do that?”

A grin split Bill’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I've been playing so much pokemon lately its unreal, I've been feeling ambitious lately so I might actually try to earn the shiny charm!
> 
>  
> 
> Siren Fun Fact: Despite being a runt Dipper is capable of lifting prey that rivals his own weight as shown by the buffalo calf he brought back to the ship and back with the flock he was able of ripping a dolphin calf right out of the water!


	46. On Your Knees, Please

Bill waited until noon to give his men time to wonder and realize before he called for them to all gather on the deck. The only ones’ excused were Logan and the few men he vouched for who had taken to the deeper areas of the hull for the time being. Bill paced along the helm railing like a tiger along its cage bars, casting glances down at the men who gathered below him. A few meet his gaze with glares, they knew he had done something to Daryl and he could see them bristling with rage at the man’s disappearance.

After some time Bill came to a stop and placed his hands on the railing. The feather in his hat caught the sun just right, the rays of light making the fibers shimmer.

“Gentlemen, some of you may have noticed we are missing a set of hands today and I do apologize for the extra work that puts on the rest of you.” Bill’s apology didn’t go over well with the men as their glowers only intensified and a few scoffed at his words but that wouldn’t enough to wipe the grin from Bill’s face.

“And I do believe I owe you all an explanation. Last night Daryl made an attempt on my life,” The captain let the statement hang so he could study their reactions. He didn’t see a shred of surprise as their anger simmered and many turned their hard gazes to the deck, a few reaching up to rub their eyes as if they were frustrated with their friend. “Thankfully Dipper was there and helped me fight him off.”

There wasn’t a bit of surprise there either and Bill decided he didn’t need to describe how the fight ended for them to understand what happened to their friend.

“Speaking of which I don’t think I’ve properly rewarded him for his loyalty.” Bill went on and turned his body to grab something that was out of their sight. He turned back with his fingers delicately hooked in the gills of a small sturgeon, the fish only being about the length of his forearm.

He tossed it up in the air and there was collective sharp breath from the men as the siren shot over head snatching the fish between his teeth. Dipper slammed into the railing and lifted himself up to perch there properly. Loud snaps filled the air as the thick scutes that covered the sturgeon’s back shattered under the siren’s teeth. Bill intently watched his crew, taking in how their faces twisted with disgust as Dipper swallowed the fish whole.

“I know many of you are new to the ship having only been with us for a voyage or two and I’ve gotten the feeling that some of you don’t have a proper respect for how powerful and intelligent the monsters we hunt are. These aren’t deer or wolves, they won’t shy away from you just because you’re a human with a gun. Most of them can easily overpower or disarm you.” Bill turned to Dipper to address him. “Pigeon, would you care to demonstrate?”

The men below started, their bodies tensing as if they were going to bolt but they were grounded as soon as Dipper opened his mouth.

_“I've been down with a broken heart_

_Since the day I learned to speak._

_The devil gave me a crooked start_

_When he gave me crooked feet.”_

The men’s bodies went slack and they stood straight as a pole with their head’s tilted back to look at the siren. Their chests rose and fell rapidly as they gave into panic yet were unable to do anything about it. Dipper could sooth this panic if he wanted, under his full influence he could blur their thoughts but they wouldn’t learn anything if he did.

_“But Gabriel done came to me_

_And kissed me in my sleep,_

_And I'll be singing like an angel_

_Until I'm six feet deep.”_

The men moved like puppets, limbs jerking unnaturally as they shuffled into orderly lines. Their eyes were wide and locked on Dipper as he walked on the railing, his keen eyes looking back at them carefully inspecting them for any sign that they were breaking free.

_“I found myself an omen and I tattooed on a sign_

_I set my mind to wandering and I walk a broken line._

_You have a mind to keep me quiet_

_And although you can try,_

_Better men have hit their knees_

_And bigger men have died.”_

Thud after thud sounded off as the crew dropped to their knees. Dipper continued to sing and was tempted to push them further but a hand on touching his arm brought him back. The siren silenced himself and stepped down from the railing so Bill could take center stage again.

Bill leaned on his hands to look down at the crew as they slowly recovered, startled and a little disturbed by what had just happened. The captain grinned pleased to see his plan had had the desired effect.

“I’m not a fool, I fully understand why Daryl had a problem with me and if any of you have a similar problem Pigeon will be happy to deal with you.” He preened under the glares he received before he continued. “We should be reaching port in two months time, I’m sure you can keep your mouth shut until then.”

 

<><><> 

 

Deep down in the hull a young man was experiencing a swath of emotions, fear, curiosity and confusion being the most prevalent. He didn’t understand why he had been ushered down into the hull by Logan and the other men, they had been so serious and the sound he could hear coming from above were worrying him.

“Lad.”

The boy jumped as Logan addressed him, the elder’s amber eyes sending a chill down his spine. Logan and the other older men were sitting around a barrel that had a lantern situated on it with cards in their hands.

“Come ‘ere, I need someone to keep an eye on Bennet.” Logan directed him and his friend immediately scoffed.

“Why do you need a boy to keep eye on me?” Bennet argued and the nekomata rolled his eyes.

“Cause you’re a sore loser and ya cheat.” Logan shot back before beckoning the cabin boy over with his hand.

The cabin boy pulled himself to his feet and timidly trotted over to them. He sat himself on a box between Logan and Bennet jumping again when a clawed hand ruffled his ginger hair.

“We’ll shuffle ya a hand in the next game.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bill's getting a little power hungry isn't he? ;P
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Some breeds of sirens can use their singing to drive entire schools of fish!


	47. Is It On?

Dipper watched the men below disperse, it felt odd to use such force to reinforce the hierarchy but it didn’t bother him long especially when he saw just how pleased Bill was. He thought he had gotten over how strange humans were yet this one still managed to surprise him. The captain looked so confident, his gaze glowing as his hands rested on his hips. His feather in the man’s hat stood out vibrantly against the red fabric.

The siren wanted to touch him, to draw him close and praise him. He didn’t however, Bill needed to look strong right now not like a coddled chick. The urge was still strong however and he quickly followed after the man when he started to descend the stairs. Dipper stayed close, he could feel the tension coming off the rest of the crew and Daryl’s attack was still fresh in his mind. He carried himself with his head, wings tucked and ready to spring if anyone lost their head.

Entering the captain’s cabin was like being wrapped in warmth and safety, leaving the tension of the deck behind. The door clicked shut behind Dipper and the siren swooped forward to wrap his arms around Bill’s waist. Bill chuckled lightly as he was pulled to siren’s chest and face was buried into his neck. Dipper’s wings curved around as if forming a shield around the man.

Bill turned his head to press kisses to Dipper’s temple as he rested his hands on the other’s arms. A coo rumbled in Dipper’s chest and reverberated through Bill’s making his ribs shiver and his heart flutter.

“You were beautiful my little sun.” Dipper cooed and Bill tried to ignore the warmth that bloomed across his face.

The pet name felt strangely more intimate now than when they wrapped up in one another in the jungle and it pulled at something in Bill’s chest. It was embarrassing really how this overgrown bird made him feel like a school boy again, every touch and word felt as exciting as if he was experiencing them for the first time.

“Bill, do you remember what you told me when I first got here?” Dipper inquired and Bill hummed softly as he thought.

“If you’re worried about me snipping your vocal cords I’m not going to.” Bill teased and Dipper rolled his eyes though he didn’t do anything to stop the smile that formed on his face. The smile dropped though as his more serious expression returned.

“No, about getting a meal and flying home.” Dipper went on and the playful glint in Bill’s gaze died.

“Yeah, why?” The captain replied. Dipper could feel the man’s guard coming up.

“Well, you got attacked because you weren’t going to sell me right?” He continued warily and was startled as Bill whirled around in his arms to fix him with hard stare.

“I got attacked cause Daryl was an idiot who didn’t know when to stop pushing.” Bill stated and Dipper couldn’t bring himself to argue with his mate.

“Still, if it’s causing this much trouble I’m still willing to go through with it.” Dipper suggested shrinking a bit in submission as Bill stared at him, resting his cheek on the other’s shoulder. The siren still hadn’t quite wrapped his mind around money, it just seemed like a way to overcomplicate trading but it seemed important to humans.

“No. I’m not letting you risk yourself like that.” Bill turned around in his arms to look at him straight on.

“I’ve done plenty of risking Bill.” He tried to joke but his smile faltered as Bill continued to stare at him.

“That doesn’t mean you have to go looking for it.” The captain argued and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I can handle myself, it would only take a few hours.” Dipper insisted and he followed after Bill as the captain walked out of his arms. The human came to stand at his desk staring down at the scattered papers that lay over his map.

“The answer is still no, there are plenty of ways you can help without risking becoming someone’s pet.” Bill didn’t budge and did his best not to relax as Dipper’s arms wrapped around him again.

“Fine, fine, just consider it alright?” Dipper requested and was disappointed when all he got was a small hum of acknowledgement. He nuzzled the other’s shoulder happy that at least the man wasn’t pushing him away. He didn’t get it, what could a human who probably knew next to nothing about his species could do to him that would keep him from coming back.

The siren thought about it while Bill idly organized his desk. Perhaps his mate was irrationally worried, it happened fairly often among sirens or maybe he was worried that Dipper wouldn’t come back but he was sure he hadn’t given the captain a reason to think that. Maybe he was the one overthinking it.

Dipper rested his chin on the other’s shoulder. A hum played in his throat, a light cheery tone to his voice. Bill glanced at him with a raised brow before looking back down at his desk. The song Dipper was humming gained more rhythm as he started to string together notes.

The siren’s clawed hands pulled away from his waist to reach out and still Bill’s hands. The captain allowed himself to be turned around and pulled away from the desk. Dipper lead him into a spin and a grin spread across his face as he saw the one pulling at Bill’s lips. Dipper pulled him closer until they butted chests and he stole a short, sweet kiss.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to upset you earlier.” The siren apologized, his thumbs lightly brushing over Bill’s knuckles.

“No, it’s just… it would be so easy for you not to come back.” Bill replied softly and his fingers tightened around his, ignoring the twinge in his bandaged hand. The client lived on the far edge of a port town, all it would take was one broken wing bone and Dipper would be trapped.

Dipper pulled the man into a hug.

“Alright, just forget I said anything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this is a little late I broke my sleep schedule again ^^,
> 
> Also apparently I'll have been working on this for a year in a few days and I'm having a small existential crisis about it *.*
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Some breeds of siren will go specifically for the wings in a fight looking to tear feathers, cut tendons or break bones!


	48. Chicks, Man

The next morning rolled around and with it a thick cloud of fog. Dipper had taken to the top of the crow’s nest were the moisture was thinnest, he watched the fog float through the tree tops as the wisps twisted above the leaves. The siren could feel the moisture settling onto his feathers and hair. The lack of visibility bothered him but it didn’t feel dangerous, he could trust Logan to keep an ear out down on deck.

Dipper was pulled out of his lounging by a yelp from below. He jumped out of the nest onto the top yard then dropped down to the second, the deck coming into view as he fell through the mist. The bottom yard is sturdy not giving so much as a shiver as Dipper weight hit it. He clawed forward and gazed down at the deck.

A young man with bright red curls dampened by the fog stood beside Logan, a hand clasped around his wrist. Logan was bristling, seemingly more disturbed by the physical contact then whatever the cabin boy was trying to point out to him. After a few heartbeats Logan looked up and with a grumble he turned back to the boy.

“Those are just fog people, they ain’t nothing but your eyes playing tricks on ya.” Logan explained, his tail twitching irritably though the rest of his body language didn’t betray the same feeling.

“A-are you sure?” The young man stammered. He quickly released the older man’s wrist mumbling a small apology.

“Yes I’m sure.” Logan responded testily but he deflates somewhat when the boy turns his nervous gaze down to the deck wood. “If it really bothers you we can find somethin’ down below to do.”

“Y-yeah I’d like that.” The youth responded.

Logan didn’t say anything instead he gave the other a nod before heading toward the stairs with the boy on his heels like a cub following its mother.

Dipper leaned back on his haunches with a soft sigh though he was pleased that nothing was actually wrong. He glanced over to where the helm should be with the fog he could just make out the railing. The siren gave one pump of his wings covered the distance between the railing and the yard. He pulled himself over the railing to stand properly.

Bill was talking with Amalia when Dipper approached, they shared a few more words about the weather before falling silent. Bill unable to sleep last night looked tired, bags under his eyes. He willingly leaned into Dipper as the siren came to stand beside them.

“Whose the chick?” Dipper inquired and Bill looked up at him with a furrowed brow.

“Who?”

“The little one following Logan around, he looks like he would be in his greys.” Dipper described further, he had seen the kid around before and he had quickly gotten the impression he was scared of him or perhaps just mythicals in general.

“If he has ridiculously red hair then that’s Braith, we picked him up last time we were in port.” Amalia spoke up.

“Isn’t he a little young to be here?” Dipper inquired. He wouldn’t say the boy was just out of his downy but back at the flock he would have still been learning how to look out for himself, certainly he wouldn’t be allowed to go out on any hunts.

“He’s practically a man now.” Bill shrugged. Braith was the youngest member Bill had ever hired but he knew younger people got taken on as cabin boys.

“Really?” Dipper hadn’t been truly considered an adult until every single one of his adult feathers came in but he supposed humans didn’t have anything like that. Maybe humans grew up faster than sirens, he wasn’t sure.

“Yes, why?” Bill replied a brow rising at Dipper’s surprise.

“Well doesn’t it seem dangerous, what if he gets hurt?” The siren fretted, the elders at the flock had always made it very clear all the things that could go wrong when you had a chick in the fray.

“Pigeon, come on we’re a little more resilient then that.” Bill responded and playfully swatted his shoulder. “If I didn’t think he was capable I wouldn’t have hired him.”

“If you say so.” Dipper relented, resting his arm around the man’s waist.

 

<> 

 

Braith sat on a small crate, his fingers carefully tying a bit of rope into a knot. The thin bit of rope he was practicing with was rough and the little frayed fibers scratched his skin as he looped it around itself. He gave it a final jerk to tighten it.

“Let me see it.”

The youth jolted and he looked up to see Logan standing in front of him, a broom handle resting in the crook of his arm and some dust in his fur. Braith placed the knot in Logan’s palm and watched it intently with hope this one would pass the test. Logan hooked a claw in the one loop sticking out of the end of the knot and gave it a light tug.

A little flicker of pride lit up in Braith’s chest which was quickly deflated when Logan tugged it a little harder and the knot came undone. Logan unraveled the rope and handed it back to Braith.

“It was better this time, try again.” Logan instructed before turning away to continue sweeping. He grumbled lowly about the filth but continued anyway, pushing everything toward a single pile.

Braith watched the feline for a moment before setting his determined gaze on the rope. His hands worked quickly to tie the rope around itself trying to keep in mind everything Logan had shown him. The elder had scolded him earlier for not tying the riggings correctly and once they had gone down to the hull he had tried to teach him how to do it properly. He had practiced tying the knot upwards of five times already and each time it had unraveled under the tiniest bit of tension but Braith was undeterred.

He wanted to prove he could do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Early update! Here's baby Braith and by baby I mean nervous sixteen year old
> 
> Fun Fact: Braith is technically the first crew member I ever made, first appearing in a short I wrote for the first or second Billdip week!
> 
> Also Logan is tsundere dad #confirmed


	49. We're Almost Out!

The ship pulled through the fog and Dipper shivered his feathers sending little droplets of water flying into the air. He yawned and made a small uncomfortable sound at all the moisture he had drawn into his lungs. The air was still wet and he could see rain clouds gathering behind them. The sun hitting his skin was warm and helped combat the chill brought on by the weather.

He turned around on the railing and fluttered up to the crow’s nest once again. The siren perched on the ledge of the nest and took a quick glance around. His eyes were tired of the endless greenery that surrounded him but he was content to hear the squawking of birds and the chirruping of monkeys instead of the silence that foretold the presence of the predator.

Dipper walked around the edge of the nest and paused. Even with his powerful sight he couldn’t quite see it but he swore he could see a swath of blue. Excitement bubbled up inside him and he pushed off the crow’s nest with his wings open. He pumped his wings to build up speed, wind whipping through his hair as he flew above the river.

The blue on the horizon become more visible as he flew and the excitement he felt grew. He finally reached the delta where the river spilt into the ocean and he circled over it. The muddy brown water dissolved into the greenish blue ocean, sand banks created by sediment carried by the river dotted the delta.

The siren quickly turned back to fly back up the river, a grin spread over his face. Once he was over the ship he dived down and nearly slammed into the deck in front of the captain’s cabin door. He popped up and opened the door to let himself in, knocking on the inner wall to announce his presence.

Bill was in his chair, feet kicked up on his desk and his formerly dozing eyes were open, focused on the siren. His eye was still cloudy with sleep but that didn’t deter the siren as he trotted forward happily.

“Come on, grab your eye thing I have something to show you.” Dipper urged as he came to stand beside his mate. Bill sniffed, his head still groggy but the siren’s upbeat mood was infectious and he found himself smiling despite his fatigue.

“Alright, alright give me a moment.” Bill said as he pulled his feet off his desk. He opened one of the drawers and extracted a telescope from it before standing.

Dipper could barely contain himself as he led his captain out of his cabin and across the deck to the bow of the ship. The pair easily ignored the few glances they got along the way, Bill strolling behind the excitable siren.

“Look out that way.” Dipper directed eagerly pointing ahead of the ship.

Bill pulled the telescope to its full length before bringing it up to his eye, a smile slowly etched its way across his face. He lowered the telescope and turned his head to look at Dipper. The captain reached up to grab the siren’s chin to pull him down into a kiss. Dipper was eager to return the affection, placing a hand on the other man’s shoulder to bring him closer. The kiss didn’t last long before Bill pulled out of it to turn to his crew.

“Men listen up!” Dipper called out and all the crewmen on deck paused what they were doing to look at him, some more begrudging then other.

“The ocean is just ahead, by the end of the day we’ll be free of this damned river.” He announced and a pleased murmur passed through the crew all happy to be that much closer to the next port and away from this dangerous jungle.

Bill turned back and lifted his telescope to take another look at the ocean. A strong wave of nostalgia washed over him as he realized how much he had missed the wide expanse of water and was reminded just how suffocating the jungle was.

His gaze drifted down to the river and his smile slowly fell. He dropped his telescope from his eye and slid it back to its most compact form before turning on his heel. Dipper perked up beside and followed after as Bill walked briskly across the deck. The captain trotted up the steps to the helm and quickly made his way to Amalia’s side.

“We have a problem.” He said his tone just hushed enough so the crew couldn’t hear him.

“What’s wrong?” She responded glancing at him before returning her eyes to the river. “It sounded like you had good news just a moment ago.”

Bill stretched out the telescope, quickly checking the view before before holding it up to her eye for her. Amalia hummed softly as she leaned into the little eyepiece, a frown pulling at her lips before she leaned away from it.

“I’ll see what I can do.” She promised him.

“What’s… wrong?” Dipper inquired not sure what he had missed.

“Look right there.” Bill simply pointed knowing the siren didn’t need the telescope to see that far ahead of the ship.

He followed the captain’s direction and he made a small sound of realization when he saw it. Quite a ways ahead of the ship he could see the river picked up from its lazy flow to speed through large rocks that protruded out of the water. The water in the center of the river appeared to be free of the hazards but the flow of the river as it dropped down the slope was clearly uneven. The curve was slight but it would certainly be difficult for a ship of this size to take.

“I… I’m sorry I didn’t know-“ Dipper began to apologize but Bill held up his hand.

“Don’t, we’ve handled rougher waters then these Pigeon.” Bill told him and as much as Dipper wanted to find comfort in the human’s confidence he found his faith shaken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The end is nigh!
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Sirens are covered in downy feathers until they reach about ten years of age or basically until they hit puberty, they then start to grow into their juvenile plumage often refereed to as 'greys' for their drab color and finally around sixteen to seventeen years of age a siren will begin growing into their adult feathers or 'colors'!


	50. We're All Going Together!

Something bad was coming, Dipper could feel it deep in his gut and he could tell Logan did to. The nekomata was tight muscled and snippy with the other’s as the crew followed the orders Amalia barked. He wondered for a moment why none of the humans seemed to feel it before he chalked it up to just another instinct they didn’t have.

They were nearing the rapids and Dipper was becoming increasingly nervous despite Bill’s assurances that everything would be fine, Amalia knew what she was doing. He paced back and forth behind the captain and his navigator not sure what else to do with himself until his worries were either confirmed or debunked.

“Pigeon.”

Dipper jumped and stopped mid-step. Bill’s hand was touching his face before he could turn to look at him and the siren melted into the contact. The human’s palm had callouses all over it that rubbed beautifully against Dipper’s skin. Dipper reached up to place his own clawed hands on Bill’s wrist as he nuzzled into the other’s touch.

“You need to relax, you look ready to start pulling your feathers out.” Bill told him with a soft chuckle, his thumb dragging over his cheekbone.

“I feel ready to start pulling my feathers out.” Dipper grumbled letting his eyes fall closed. He focused on the texture of Bill’s hand and allowed the man to sooth him. Bill’s other hand came up to gently brush along the other’s forearm.

“We’ll be fine Pigeon, you’ll see, then we’ll sweep through a port to restock before going on our first mission together.” Bill continued to talk, pleased to see the siren’s breathing started to even out. He took the moment to appreciate all the little freckles that were sprinkled across Dipper’s face like stars which seemed strangely appropriate considering the birthmark he had.

“You know if you think it would keep you calm I could blindfold you.” Bill purred, his voice low so only Dipper could hear.  His tone sent a shiver to the tips of Dipper’s feathers his words however had the siren cracking his eyes open to throw him a quizzical glance.

“Why would I want you to do that?” He inquired and his lips pursed, the captain looked way too amused with himself for the siren’s liking.

“I’ll show you once I have a proper bed.” Bill chuckled and before Dipper could ask further questions leaned in to press a light kiss to his lips. The captain pulled back and gave him a reassuring smile.

“Bill I need you to take this from me.” Amalia requested over her shoulder. Bill glanced at her before looking back at Dipper, he gave him one more quick kiss before retracting his hands.

He easily switched places with the navigator and she quickly ran down the steps, heading toward a few men who were clearly struggling with a knotted rope. They needed to get the sails down and slow the ship down so it could take the turn without beaching itself or worse break open its hull on a boulder.

“Braith, I need you to drop an anchor for me!” Bill yelled out to the boy who was currently panicking in the middle of the deck. The redheaded boy nodded before streaking off across the deck like a bullet to do as he was told.

“Only one?” Amalia inquired as she climbed back up the stairs, she was lightly panting.

“I’ll have someone drop another once we get into the curve.” Bill explained to her, his plan being that the first anchor would slow the ship own and then the second would be used to help them maneuver the river.

“Is there anything I can do?” Dipper asked taking a few steps to stand beside Bill at the wheel. Bill glanced at him for a moment before focusing back ahead as he thought. The siren certainly wasn’t trained with any of the equipment though that was something he planned to fix in the future.

“Scout ahead, check for any boulders under the water if you can.” Bill instructed and was caught off-guard by Dipper stealing a kiss before he took off.

Dipper flew swiftly until he was over the rapids then he fluttered in the air as he looked down into the water. The white foam from the swirling current combined with the already murky water made it difficult to see if there were any hidden dangers. He gave a frustrated growl before lowering himself down so he could thrust his legs into the water where it looked like it was rippling over something. The current pushed him downstream a bit as his talons clawed in the water. Then when he found nothing he lifted his legs out of the water to flap over to a different spot.

Finally after checking multiple spots his claws scrapped along a smooth pillar of rock. His head shot up and he quickly studied the area around were he felt the stone applying the boulder’s location to memory before moving on.

He returned to the ship soaking wet, his feathers worryingly heavy from the spray of the river and once Dipper was safely on the helm he shivered and flicked his wings to clear them of the water. Dipper dragged himself over to where Bill still stood behind the wheel leaving a puddle of water in his wake.

“I found one boulder in the far inner curve of the river, there could be some deeper down.” He reported and Bill gave a thoughtful hum as he wove a strategy in his head.

“Thank you Pigeon.” Bill replied after a moment of silence then leaned over to steal his own kiss, the siren’s lips were cold with water.

“Anytime.” Dipper promised and the captain flashed him grin.

“Good cause once we get there I’m going to want you to fly overhead to help me maneuver this old girl.” Bill chuckled before turning his head to bark an order to the crew. “Someone lift the anchor, we’re slow enough.”

Dipper didn’t turn to look at the crew so he didn’t see if anyone followed the captain’s command, though he could assume as much since he didn’t repeat it, as he was too caught up in looking at Bill. The human looked incredibly powerful in that moment, so sure of himself as he stood behind the ship’s wheel. It was infectious and Dipper found himself standing a little straighter as he was once again surprised with the skills humans had cultivated.

Perhaps everything would be alright.

He stood beside his mate until they reached the rapids. Bill’s instructions were simple, he needed him to fly overhead and make sure the ship didn’t swerve too close to anything dangerous. The cool breeze rolling in off the sea pressed lovingly to Dipper’s back as he hovered over the ship. It was calming and he felt a sense of nostalgia mixed with homesickness at the scent of saltwater. He couldn’t wait to be among the blue waves again.

Down below an anchor was dropped and the bow of the ship slowly turned into the curve of the river. That anchor was quickly raised to avoid the ship rounding back into the bank and Bill was so focused on that he didn’t notice Dipper dropping down to speak with him.

“You need to get further over or you’re going to hit the rock.” The captain jumped at Dipper’s voice, letting out a breath as he recovered.

“Thank you Pigeon.” Bill said quickly before rolling the wheel to get the ship in the proper position.

“Drop a port anchor!” Amalia yelled from her spot leaning on the helm railing. The ship turned effortlessly, wood creaking as it shifted.

“See, everything’s fine, no harder than navigating a crowded port.”  Bill chuckled looking over at Dipper as Amalia continued to yell.

“I suppose, I’m sorry I-“ Dipper was about to apologize for his lack of faith when the woman’s yelling became more frantic.

“Someone get to it now!”

The ship continued to turn despite Bill’s desperate wheel turning and a sudden, violent shudder trembled up its planks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So apparently ships would use there anchors to hep them move through crowded ports, pretty nifty
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Blindfolding Dipper would actually be a great way to calm him down since his sight is by leaps and bounds the best sense he has blindfolding him would massively cut down on the stimulus going to his brain!


	51. Accessing The Damage

The sound of sand shifting under agitated feet was slowly grating on Bill’s nerves. The rest of the crew had finished their groaning and bitching over half an hour ago and now they were taking the crisis as an excuse to get drunk on the beach. One member however was still pacing back and forth, working himself up into hysterics.

“Logan.” Bill snapped glancing over his shoulder at the nekomata. Logan’s pacing had cleared a line in the sand revealing the darker earth beneath it, Braith stood nearby looking a touch disturbed at this shaken version of Logan. The elder man paused and Bill nearly sighed with relief as Logan’s claws stopped scuffing the ground.

“I need you to calm down.” Bill instructed nearly through gritted teeth.

“Calm down?” Logan barked, lips curling over his teeth and his ears pined flat to skull. “Have ya even seen what’s happened to this ship?”

Logan flung out his arm to gesture towards the ship. The side of the hull had been busted open by a boulder showing off the insides like an oversized diorama. He had sent Dipper in a few minutes prior to investigate the internal damage.

“Yes Logan, I see what’s happened and you digging a trench isn’t going to help.” Bill replied and limply gestured to Logan’s feet. The nekomata looked down to see all the sand that had matted into his fur. His jaws parted as if there was something he wanted to say but they closed unable to form words.

“S-should we go see how Bennet’s holding up?” Braith suggested and shrank back a bit as Logan took a deep sigh. Once composed Logan lifted his gaze to look at the boy.

“Alright.” He agreed and there was a hoarseness to his voice. He stepped out of his little ravine to follow after Braith, his tail dragging through the sand.

Bill watched them go for a moment before looking at the ship, he stepped forward and ignored the chill that came with the river lapping over his boots. It really was a sorry sight, the wood was splinted and some of the planks that hadn’t snapped were bowing into the hull. It didn’t appear to be sinking but that was probably due to half of it being beached.

A scuffling came from inside the hull and shortly after Dipper crawled out of the hole. Bill’s stomach sank when he saw the water dripping from the siren’s legs and he rubbed the side of his face with his palm. Dipper glided over the distance between the ship and the captain to land in the sand.

“There’s water everywhere and the ships opened all the way to the bottom.” Dipper explained. He didn’t know anything about the architecture of the ship so couldn’t say how unrepairable some of the damage was but even he could recognize that it didn’t look good. Dipper gently ran his hand over Bill’s shoulder as he watched the man’s face scrunch up in frustration.

“Christ.” Bill cursed under his breath. The hand that had been rubbing his face moved to slide through his hair. He fought against his knees as they nearly buckled under him, his body wanting to sag to the sand. Dipper’s hand on his shoulder kept him standing.

“What’s the plan?” The siren inquired speaking to the distressed captain gently.

“I don’t know.” Bill breathed his hand falling to slap against his trouser leg. He stared at the river, his skull feeling ready to pop as his thoughts struggled to center themselves.

“I’m either going to have to get my hands on a new ship or find and pay a witch to fix this.” Bill went on. It would be easier to buy a new ship though it would take months to renovate and enchant a ship all over again then on the other hand a witch would be faster but the cost would rival that of a new ship. Logan crossed his mind and he suppressed a groan, the nekomata wouldn’t leave the ship.

Dipper was silent for a moment and stretched one of his wings to rest over his mate’s shoulder.

“I’ll help you anyway I can.” He promised and Bill leaned into his touch.

“I know you will.” Bill replied and offered him a soft smile as he crossed his arms loosely over his chest.

“How far away is the port?” Dipper asked suddenly, his gaze on Bill unwavering as the captain gave him a quizzical look.

“It would have been over a month with the ship…” He trailed off as he felt his gut sink again as he realized how long it would take to walk there.

“And if we flew?” Dipper suggested and he watched as Bill’s eyes widened. The captain didn’t know how much time would be cut off by flying but he knew Dipper was faster than his ship and certainly faster than them on foot.

“We could fly there, get a witch and come back.” Bill spoke out loud to himself. He fell silent as his mind raced then he shot the siren a dazzling grin. “You’re a genius Pigeon!”

A small yelp passed Dipper’s lips as he was pulled down into a kiss, the contact was sloppy and fast, Bill moving away as quickly as he had pulled the siren in. The captain took off across the beach to trot up the awkwardly placed gang plank. After a moment to recover Dipper fluttered after his mate, landing on the deck just as Bill hit the wood. Bill made straight for his cabin with Dipper in tow.

“What are you looking for?” Dipper inquired as he watched Bill burst through the door to his cabin. The man was scrambling around the room.

“I have a sack, its small, I want to take a few- aha!” Bill let out a triumphant cry as he found the tan sack lying on top of his bookshelf. He slung the empty sack’s thin rope over his shoulder before turning toward Dipper. “I’m going to pack a few things.”

Dipper nodded and watched as Bill went about gathering everything he thought he’d need.

<> 

“And how do we know you’re not going to just leave us here?” A man with black hair demanded, his name was Noah if Bill remembered correctly. Bill returned the man’s blazing gaze evenly, his shoulders squared.

The captain gestured for Amalia to come over and as the woman crossed the beach he reached up to his face. Bill hissed softly while he worked the golden ball out of his socket, it made a soft slick sound as it came out. He pulled a handkerchief from his coat’s breast pocket and dropped his gold eye into it before looking up at Noah.

“Getting this eye fitted felt like Satan himself was poking around in my head, I won’t be doing it again.” He stated and dropped it into Amalia’s outstretched palm, her hand bobbing at the unexpected heft of it.

Noah looked down at the ball for a moment nearly glaring at it in thought. His gaze softened when he looked back up at his captain and he nodded. He clearly still didn’t like it but he knew staying here with the ship would a look safer than trying to travel along the coast.

“I’ll try to keep the peace.” He told Bill rubbing the back of his neck. He looked back at the rest of the crew wondering how long he could keep them drunk.

“You’re a good man.” Bill complimented him. Noah seemed a reasonable sort hopefully he would stay on after they got this whole mess sorted. The other made a small noncommittal grunt as he turned away to go handle the crew. Bill took a moment to secure his pack to his back and pull a patch out of one of her inner pockets to cover his eye socket with before going to Dipper, the siren waiting by the shore.

“Alright Pigeon, I’m ready to go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: They just can't catch a beak can they
> 
> Fun Witch Fact: Witches are the most sensitive to a persons magic compatibility and will often refuse to help someone with incredibly low compatibility try to gain powers due to the high chance of them getting seriously hurt or dying


	52. Flying High In The Sky

Flying was a long held dream of mankind but as Bill dangled over ten meters above the treetops it was quickly losing its luster with him. His face was buried securely in the side of Dipper’s throat, eyes squeezed shut in case curiosity coaxed him to look down again even though just the thought made his stomach churn. The high speed that the siren was hurtling them through the air wasn’t helping his predicament either and if they weren’t in such a hush he would demand they slow down. When they had taken off Dipper had encouraged him to get some rest but between the fear of tumbling to his death and the wind whipping passed his face he couldn’t imagine sleeping now.

Dipper’s arms did feel nice around him though, the siren was holding him tighter than usual gripping him securely to his chest. Bill took a deep breath forcing himself to take it in and let it go slowly to calm the thudding in his ears.

Dipper tried not to snicker as they flew remembering how terrified he had been the first time he had tried to fly. He was flying faster than he would have liked, it would have been difficult to make any maneuvers should he have to make them but he couldn’t afford to glide right now. His shoulders were growing sore from his constant flapping but he told himself he wouldn’t stop until sundown. Stars, it was like migration all over again.

At least the breeze coming in off the sea was helpful, the cool air lifting him high in the air. As long as it didn’t turn against them they should be able to keep reasonable time.

There were few words to be shared this high in the air since the wind just swallowed most of the human’s voice. Dipper suppressed how much the silence bothered him, flying with other sirens was always a noisy affair with chirps and whistles replacing words. He supposed if he was going to live beside humans though he was just going to have to get used to their weird love of silence.

He glanced at the sky thankful their flight had begun in the middle of the day, the sun tipping down toward the horizon.

Once night started to fall along with Dipper’s ability to see the coast they landed. The moon shimmering over the treetops reflected off the sea but cast a long shadow over the beach. There was a few moments of rustling before Bill struck a match, a small circle of amber light engulfed them. He pulled a small lantern open with an audible clink and lit the wick, the tiny flame growing as it fed on the oil inside.

“Do you want to walk for a while?” Dipper inquired despite how his wings were drooping into the sand. Bill looked him over once before shaking his head.

“No, I’m going to grab some woods and start a fire for us.” Bill replied, it was getting cold and he’d rather not wake up extra stiff because of it. When Dipper moved to follow after him Bill turned to him and stood firm. “Oh no, you’ve been flying for hours sit down, I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.”

To his surprise the siren didn’t argue and instead dropped down to his tail feathers in the sand. He buried his talons in the cool sand and let his shoulders slouch. Bill stepped over to him and ran his fingers through Dipper’s hair. Dipper gave a small purr and tilted his head back into his touch. Dipper rested a hand on Bill’s calf and turned his head to press a kiss into the side of his thigh.

“I’ll be right back.” Bill told him his voice soft and fond. Dipper nodded and his arm dropped from his leg, letting him go. The siren watched him cross the sand toward the trees, keeping an eye on the light when he couldn’t clearly see the man.

The jungle was near silent and with what little light the lantern provided being even further limited by all the foliage Bill didn’t bother looking around for danger, instead keeping his ears open. He listened for anything from a slither to the crack of a twig as he searched about for dry wood near the tree line. The captain gathered up a bundle of branches and dead vines before heading back to the beach.

He was a bit surprised to find the siren hadn’t budged though now he looked a bit limper. Bill walked over and dropped his bundle in the sand before gently poking Dipper’s scalp. The siren groaned softly much to Bill’s relief that Dipper hadn’t keeled over while he was gone.

Bill kneeled down to dig out a small pit that he stacked the sticks together then weaved the vines in the base. He grabbed another match and struck it before carefully dropping it into the campfire, a small flame burned from the inside and he gently blew on it encouraging it to devour the dry vines. The captain shuffled back once the flames started to lick up the twigs.

He startled when Dipper moved into his space gently head-butting his arm. The siren tried to mumble something but he interrupted himself with a yawn and switched to using his clawed hands to urge Bill back. Bill cocked an eyebrow but allowed himself to be pushed back until he was propped on his elbows. Once he was somewhat horizontal Dipper rested his cheek on Bill’s chest, nuzzling into his shirt as he made himself comfortable on his mate.

Bill snickered and reached up to pet through Dipper’s hair, the siren purred contently. Dipper drew his wings together to cup over them, keeping the warmth that radiated over from the fire. Bill let his head lean back using his free arm to protect his hair from the sand as he looked up at the stars.

<> 

Dipper grumbled softly as he awoke squinting when he turned his head at the light that shined through the trees. He brushed off the sand that had stuck to his skin and dragged himself to his feet. A drop of panic settled in his stomach as he realized his mate wasn’t around the apparently still burning campfire waking him out of his grogginess.

A grunt and a splash caught his attention. Dipper looked out into the surf to see Bill up to his knees in water leaning into a long stick he had stabbed into the waves. The legs of his slacks were rolled up to about his mid-thigh and his shirt had been left on the beach with his coat. He lifted the other end of stick and gave a triumphant cry when he saw he had successfully speared a fish on the knife he had tied to the end of it.

“Good morning there sleeping beauty.” Bill called to Dipper as he trudged toward the shore. The siren stepped into the shallows to meet him leaning down to give Bill a chaste, lazy kiss.

When they pulled away Bill walked onto the shore, pulling the blue scaled fish off his knife and placed it on a palm leaf with the three he had caught earlier. Dipper came to stand beside him, tilting his head as he looked down at the fish and the hole in each of their sides. The captain scooped the leaf up in his hands.

“You could’ve woke me up I would have caught some fish.” Dipper told his voice still a little thick with sleep. Bill gave him a small dismissive wave as he sat the leaf down near the fire before he started sifting through the sticks he had gathered.

“You needed the rest, are you going to be able to fly today you seemed really tired last night.” Bill commented as he skewered one of the fish on a twig.

“I’ve traveled further in less time.” Dipper replied. He definitely felt better after he had slept, it was similar to the quick energy return he got during migration but he knew the lethargy he’d have after all this would last for a few days at least.

“If you say so, want your fish raw?” Bill moved on knowing the siren he was either correct or he was going to fly himself into the ground.

“I’ll try it cooked.” Dipper requested idly watching the fire.

Once all the fish were placed around the fire Bill seated himself next to the siren, gently leaning his shoulder on Dipper’s. It was nice getting to sit with nothing but the roll of water and the chirp of birds filling the air. There was a tendril of longing in his chest however for the shouting of men and the rock of a ship. Less than twenty-four hours and he was already missing the ship he almost snorted at himself.

They’d get her fixed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And the traveling begins!
> 
> Fun Siren Fact: Many sirens report high energy levels during migration or times of travel but they crash incredibly hard afterward, flocks will often spend the first week after a migration mostly sleeping!


	53. It's the Season

They continued with their routine for the next week and a half. Bill’s stomach eventually got used to the high altitude and speed that Dipper flew at allowing him to actually enjoy the view every once and a while. Everything looked so strange from the height they were at, far too small but thankfully the sight didn’t make him want to toss up his gut anymore.

Bill also discovered that if he whistled just right he apparently said something incredibly rude in siren.

It was well past noon when Dipper started to slow his pace. The captain lifted his gaze from the sea to look questioningly at him, waiting for them to slow enough that Dipper could hear. The siren was looking off at something in the distance but when Bill tried to follow his gaze but all he saw was the endless green expanse of trees to one side and a similar swath of blue to the other.

“Pigeon?” Bill inquired once the siren had paused to a hover.

“There a human settlement up ahead, do you want to stop?” Dipper replied keeping his eyes on the settlement. They’d have to land for sure or fly around but there was no way Dipper could go anywhere near it.

“Anything notable?” Bill probed.

“There are some humans at posts, they have guns and they’re wearing the same clothes.” He described his eyes narrowing as he studied what he saw. Something about the men standing at attention, a few patrolling around made him nervous.

“Color?”

“Red.”

Bill gave a thoughtful hum at the siren’s answer. He was fairly sure he hadn’t done anything to earn the British’s ire he should be able to go around without much issue. Dipper of course wouldn’t be able to go without at least looking like he was restrained and Bill hadn’t brought any of his equipment. The presence of the soldiers would have scared off any solo witches but if there was an established coven they might have stuck it out.

“Drop us at a road heading into town, I’ll go in and see if I can find any help.” Bill instructed and Dipper nodded before doing a quick scan of the area. He opened his wings and dropped a few inches before gliding off over the treetops.

A thin split in the greenery appeared after a few moments of flight. Dipper gripped Bill tightly to his chest before dropping down into the trees, vines and thin branches snapping under his splayed talons. He hit the ground with a light grunt. He set Bill on his feet before pulling some stray leaves out of his feathers.

“I suppose I won’t be going with you.” Dipper said and Bill could easily hear the apprehension in his words. Bill turned to him and gently clasped the siren’s chin to tilt his head done.

“I’ll be fine Pigeon, walk in, do a little business and walk out.” Bill assured him then pulled him down into a soft kiss. Dipper gently pressed back into the kiss, to contact did calm his nerves for the moment.

“Alright but if you need anything just yell or, or whistle and I’ll be right there.” Dipper mumbled against the captain’s lips. He didn’t like the idea of lurking outside of the village while his mate went in by himself. Dipper was the last person or monster who needed to be reminded that his mate could handle himself but that didn’t ease his worries.

“I will, come walk with me for a bit.” Bill invited as he stepped out onto the thin, dirt path. He didn’t know how long the soldiers had been there but it couldn’t have been very long, the path wasn’t even wide enough for the horses they would be using. It had to have been worn down before they had gotten there.

Bill walked on the path while Dipper stuck to the foliage just in case they came across someone else on the path, they reached over the border to interlock their fingers. It was a silent walk that lasted only a few minutes before they were within sight range of the village. Dipper allowed the captain’s fingers to slip from his grasp and Bill smiled back at him reassuringly one last time before marching toward the village.

“Halt.”

Bill did as he was told coming to a stop a few feet away from the archway in the wooden wall that surrounded the settlement. A red coated soldier that had been standing in the archway took a handful of measured steps toward him, a musket balanced on his shoulder.

“What’s your business?” The soldier inquired.

“Just a traveler looking to do a little trading.” Bill answered with an easy grin. The soldier gave him a once over before gesturing for him to come closer.

“I’m going to have to look in your bag.” The soldier informed him and Bill nodded, sliding the bag off his shoulder as he approached. He handed it off to the man and glanced into the village as the soldier checked his items.

There were a handful of buildings within the wall and quite a few trees had been cut away from the outside of it. Bill personally didn’t see any reason for them to be occupying this area but when weren’t the British occupying something in this day and age. There was probably a resource nearby he hadn’t noticed.

“Here you are, have a good day sir.” Bill started a bit when the soldier handed him his sack back. He slung it back over his shoulder and gave the man a polite nod before walking into the village. He paused at an intersection in the path, allowing a woman trying to herd some goats to pass him taking the moment to look around.

His gaze was drawn back down when a buck bleated up at him, the animal was large with a black coat and it looked like another pair of horns were coming in. Bill held out his hand and the goat pressed his head into his palm. He looked up to see the young woman had walked a few feet away and the buck wasn’t the only straggler she had.

“Miss do you need any help?” Bill called out to her and she turned around, immediately giving an exasperated sigh when she saw the other animals.

Bill offered her a smile and it threatened to twitch into something wider when the sun glinted off her necklace. It was a clever little thing, the circle resting on her collarbone had an elegant flower-like designed into it. The captain would have to compliment her on her discretion.

But he knew a pentacle when he saw one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Just wanted to remind you guys that I really do appreciate all your comments and kudos, hugs and grandma smooches for all of you!
> 
> Fun Witch Fact: Covens very greatly in size and structure, from small family groups to large organized societies but a covens size isn't always an accurate way to judge its power, many of the most powerful covens are long standing family groups!


	54. Here There Be Witches

“If you would be so kind.” The young woman sighed, she didn’t know why he mother had her do this the animals never listened to her. She watched the stranger playfully push back on the buck’s head to direct him toward her. A little flare of jealousy whipped through her at how easily he got the animal to listen but at least she could get the little herd to their pen much quicker now.

“What are you doing all the way out here?” She inquired as they walked, it wasn’t often they got visitors to the little village. She didn’t particularly like to count the soldiers as visitors.

“Just coming through to get some supplies and maybe get something repaired.” He answered and she tried not visibly bristle at how he eyed her necklace.

“That is a lovely necklace by the way, where did you get it?” He questioned and she unconsciously reached up to touch it.

“We make them here, it’s a crest of sorts so sadly I can’t trade you one.” She told him as he fiddled with it, her thumb sliding through one of the openings idly. The young woman had been doing a lot of lying recently and she liked to think she was getting rather good at it.

“That’s too bad, my sweetheart would have looked lovely in one.” He lamented before reaching out his hand to her, a grin on his face. “I’m Bill by the by.”

“Carmina.” The young woman introduced herself taking his hand and giving him a light shake. She noticed the slight twitch of his fingers as they pulled away, her eyes widening despite her attempt to keep her expression pleasant. Carmina hadn’t sensed any magic in his touch but he was certainly sensitive to it.

“The pleasure is mine.” Bill chuckled as he took his hand back.

Carmina had to pause her pondering of the strange man to trot ahead and open the gate to the pen, the goats thankfully going in without much trouble. The black buck hoped up onto an overturned bucket and bleated loudly. He gave his shaggy coat a shake before turning around, his hooves clipping against the wood, to look at the two humans. The bar pupil in his amber brown eyes watched them, his gaze emotionless.

Carmina met the animal’s gaze for a few moments, daring him to try and escape the pen again. She hated that goat, she really did.

“You said you were looking for repairs right, my father might be able to help you.” She told him once the buck had jumped off the bucket and headed into the little hut they had for them. “I’ll take you to him.”

“Thank you, I’ll try to get out of everyone’s hair as soon as I can.” Bill promised and he reached up to tilt his hat to her only to find he didn’t have it. He shrugged, unbothered when she giggled at him.

He followed behind her as she led him across the village. The clang of metal striking metal became more obvious as they approached a small building set off from the rest. A thin shouldered man was curved over a stone block striking a piece of red hot metal. Bill could recognize the glowing silhouette of what would probably be a dagger in the near future. They stepped up to the smithy just as the man dipped the metal into water, steam rolling up into the air with a hiss.

“Papa, this man is looking to trade.” Carmina told the man once he was holding a safely cold piece of metal.

Bill thought it was kind of sweet how they didn’t think he notice the look they swapped with one another. It was clear to him that they weren’t used to sneaking around but he also doubted the soldiers noticed, probably thinking any strange behavior was just the villagers being nervous around them. There was a heavy presence over the area that he had felt the moment he stepped through the gate which was a good sign, it meant there was one or more witches here powerful enough to keep some kind of shield over the village.

Carmina gave him a swift goodbye before leaving him with her father, walking quickly down the street.

<><><> 

The young witch burst through the back door of the main building at the center of the village coming into its kitchen. She looked around quickly brushing her thick black hair out of her face. Her surroundings were silent but her racing heart made up for it. The skirt of her dress was balled up in her hands as she ran through the kitchen and stomped up the stairs.

“Gran!” Carmina called out and stopped in her tracks when she was shushed. The young woman turned around the corner into a room filled with the scents of dried herbs. Faint light filtered in through the drawn curtains to glint off of glass bottles that were lined up on a shelf. In front of the window was a desk stacked high with books and vials.

Carmina quietly walked up behind the large woman standing at the desk. The woman’s hair was white with streaks of gray, her body bound with powerful muscle that was softening with age. The young woman came to stand beside her and watched as a large hand delicately dripped an off yellow oil into a herb mixture. The oil sizzled as it hit the browning leaves, melting down in between them and the leaves crumbled into the water they were soaking in. The elder set the oil vial down before turning to look at Carmina.

“Now, what’s bothering you?” The grandmother inquired bringing a hand to rest on her shoulder.

“There’s a traveler in town, he’s strange.” Carmina began clasping her hands together nervously.

“Most travelers are.” The woman replied knowing her granddaughter had little experience with anything outside of the village.

“No, no, he’s sensitive to magic but he doesn’t have it and I think he recognized my pentacle.” Carmina told her quickly looking up at the woman with concern. Her grandmother’s eyes narrowed and she could see the elder’s jaw tightening.

“Bring him to me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Bill be sneaking, witches be noticing!
> 
> Fun Magic Fact: People born on certain days, during some natural phenomenon or in sets of twins or more tend to be more prone to magic then others!
> 
> Carmina herself was born on the first day of May!


	55. A Song for A Nickel

Carmina stepped out of the main house and took a moment to regain her composure so to look less like had up and down a set of stairs. She trotted down the few steps back to the stone path that led across the lawn to the road. Apprehension curled in her belly as he walked back to her father’s smithy to retrieve the visitor.

She had been told cautionary tales of witch hunters her entire life, there had been times when she thought they were just something her grandmother had made up to scare her into behaving, and they swam in her head now. The young witch tried to force the scent of fire out of her nose as the stories of stakes came to the forefront of her mind. Her grandmother’s calming words did little to quell her fear, this Bill might be the only hunter in the village but that didn’t mean there weren’t others out in the jungle.

Laughter floated to her as the smithy came into view. The smoke that had been billowing out of the chimney had now thinned out to a wisp. The visitor was sitting on the stone block her father used to hammer metal and her father was leaning carefully against his cooling furnace telling the man a story. Bill was listening intently throwing in a little comment here and there or smacking his knee as he let out a bark of laughter.

Carmina cleared her throat as he walked up behind Bill and her father trailed off. The visitor sat up, pulling his elbows off his knees to turn and look at her.

“Mister Bill, my grandmother would like to meet you.” Carmina told him trying to maintain some level of authority and formality. Bill smiled, completely undeterred, and stood up, brushing some dust off his trousers.

“Of course but I do expect to learn what happened with that eel.” Bill chuckled to her father before turning to her.

She gave her father a small nod before she began to lead their visitor to the main house. She tried not to be bothered by the confidence the man carried himself with, no concern with why their leader would want to see him. It was like he knew what was happening.

She led him around to the front of the house, she opened the door allowing him to enter first. He thanked her, that easy grin still on his face as he entered the building. His expression barely faltered when he heard the click of a lock behind him. He glanced around the room until his attention was dragged to the stairs by the sound of the boards creaking.

Carmina’s grandmother descended the stairs at a leisurely pace, one hand resting on the railing and the other behind her back. There was finality in the soft thud that came when she reached the bottom of the stairway. She looked Bill over with a steely, contemplative gaze.

“Friend or foe traveler?” She inquired.

“Matriarch I come only as a friend.” Bill replied and bowed to the older woman. Her eyes didn’t grow any softer at the show of respect.

“What do you want from us?” The matriarch asked and she brought around one of her hands from behind her back, a small, tightly bound pouch in her fingers. He eyed it for a moment knowing it could be any combination of highly caustic mixtures that could send him to an early grave.

“I might be a friend in need.” He explained keeping his eyes on her and where she kept her hand. “I understand the risk I’m asking you to take and I am more than willing to pay the cost.”

“We’re not interested in your money.” She responded and Carmina’s lips parted but sealed shut when her grandmother gave her a hard look. Bill also faltered, his easy grin falling at her answer.

“What can I interest you in then?” Bill inquired crossing his arms over his chest, steeling himself for a negotiation. Magic could be a difficult practice and he knew it wasn’t uncommon for witches to demand resources instead.

“There is nothing that you could offer that would be worth the risk to my family, I hope you can understand that.” She denied his offer. The grandmother stepped over to the table in the kitchen to set the pouch down on the table.

“A compromise perhaps, a charm of some sort instead of bringing one of you with me.” Bill insisted refusing to leave without something for this journey.

“Sir, you’ve seen the soldiers it’s too dangerous for us right now.” She told him simply. Bill was silent for a moment, his dark gaze contemplative.

“I have a siren with me.”

“What?” Carmina blurted out with disbelief. Her grandmother considered Bill for a moment as if trying to decide if he was lying or not.

“I have a siren with me he could easily distract the soldiers while you do your ritual or whatever it is you do.” Bill stated meeting the matriarch’s gaze steadily. A smirk pulled at his lips as she drew herself up to her full height.

“That doesn’t mean you can afford our assistance.” She replied glaring him down bitterly.

“I run in a very dangerous line of work, a line of work that pays very well.” Bill rested his hands confidently on his hips. The matriarch stared at him, her expression tense while she choose how she would deny him again.

“Gran.” Carmina’s voice was soft as she approached the older woman. The matriarch turned her cold gaze on her granddaughter before heaving a deep sigh, reaching a hand out to place on the girl’s shoulder.

“Show me your siren.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this is a few hours late, my wee nephew had a piano recital today ^.^


	56. The Backup plan Needs a Backup

Bill left the little village first, giving the soldier at the entrance a polite nod as he went. The sun was beginning its descent to the horizon casting the jungle into shadow that Bill walked into without fear. The captain followed the path until he felt a presence behind him, a smirk pulled at his lips and he reached back with his hand. His palm was met gently by long claws that curled between his fingers. He turned to the siren and lifted Dipper’s hand to his mouth to press a light kiss to his knuckles.

“We’ll be having a little company Pigeon.” Bill told him and Dipper tilted his head.

“Who?” Dipper’s wings tensed for a moment but after a quick sweep with his eyes he relaxed.

“Nothing to worry about, I might have volunteered your abilities to help us get a charm made.” Bill informed him reaching forward to smooth down one of the feathers that had fluffed up.

“Incredible.”

Dipper jumped when he heard a new voice and whirled around to see two woman, both bearing baskets against their hips. The younger of the two was staring at him with wide, awed eyes that he quickly turned bashful under. The elder’s expression was more subdued, her eyebrows raised as she took in the monster. The grandmother slowly placed her basket down on the ground before addressing the captain.

“I didn’t actually think you had one with you.” She brushed her hands together to clear her palms of any grime.

“I always keep my word, now can we discuss a price?” Bill inquired taking a step toward her.

“I’m still not interested in your money.” The matriarch replied firmly and Bill’s smile twinged with frustration.

“Then what do you want?” Bill ground out, anger flaring dangerously in his gut and Dipper bristled at his side.

“Do you know a man named Gleeful?”

Bill cocked an eyebrow when he heard the name and shifted his weight to his hip. Dipper glanced at him curiously, eyes flickering between them trying to gauge the importance of this man. The siren had never even heard of such a name.

“I have.” Bill answered, his tone low and suspicious.

“Then you know that he is quite the collector, years ago he sent a little witch hunter to get him a real witch’s familiar.” The matriarch told him and looked to Bill expectantly, the captain nodded slowly.

“What am I looking for?” Bill asked.

“A weasel who answers to the name of Holt.” She responded simply, her eyes still cold and controlled. “Bring him back and I’ll make your charm.”

The matriarch hauled her basket back up to her hip and walked away, giving a small gesture to instruct her granddaughter to follow her. Carmina looked between Bill and her grandmother for a few times before trotting off after the older woman. The two disappearing down the path to address some business the matriarch thought more important than this little meeting.

“Who’s Gleeful?” Dipper asked once the witches were out of hearing range.

“The man who wanted you.”

Dipper slowed to a stop at the admission. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Dipper had been caught in the pirate’s net, it was nearly nostalgic to think about. His troubled gaze flickered around the jungle path as he tried to center his thoughts.

“Do you remember what I said to you?” Dipper called after his mate who stopped short and turned to him.

“You’ve told me a lot of things Pigeon.” Bill replied with a slight smirk and Dipper scowled at the man’s evasive response. He marched up to the human who just meet his heated gaze with a cool expression.

“About my plan for you to hand me in for the money, you could take me to him and I could get her familiar.” Dipper explained, his voice firm. Bill’s smirk fell and Dipper’s gaze softened as worry surfaced on the pirate’s face. He reached out with a claw to gently trace his mate’s jawline.

“I’d rather not send you there, Gleeful is one thing but his son is another.” Bill replied his eye looked off to the side.

“You didn’t seem to think about it when we first met.” Dipper raised a brow and that genuine smirk the siren loved appeared.

“I might have been hoping you would take care of him for me, but,” Bill turned his head to a press a kiss to Dipper’s hand. “I’m a little more involved now.”

Dipper purred softly in the back of his throat and leaned down to steal a kiss. It was getting difficult for the siren to keep pushing for his plan when the captain was so concerned for his wellbeing but he wasn’t about to let Bill throw everything away on him. There was a determined glint his eyes when he pulled out of the kiss.

“I can still take care of him, I don’t know if you forgot but I’ve been eating humans for a very long time.” Dipper pointed out but his logic didn’t seem to win him any points with the captain. He gently cupped Bill’s face with his palm, running his thumb along his cheek. “Let me do this for you my little sun.”

Bill broke eye contact again when Dipper used his pet name, the siren pleased to see the way color rose in the humans face. The pirate squeezed his eye shut and growled softly, deeply not wanting to agree to this. The Gleeful son wasn’t the brightest and he was sure Dipper could take them unless they knew something he didn’t. He opened his eye and looked back at the siren’s hopeful gaze. He reached up and gently grasped the siren’s hand.

“Fine, we need to get moving then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: *Desperately tries to wipe Lonely's lipstick off my collar* H-hey honeys I'm home!
> 
> So I thought that I'd update since you've all been waiting so nicely but I should tell you guys this probably won't be updating regularly again cause I apparently got a job five hours ago?! And I don't know how that'll affect my writing schedule
> 
> Happy Holidays anyway!


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